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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23561686">Don't Stand So Close to Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/pseuds/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington'>Lord_Byron_Mudkippington</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!, ラブライブ! 虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会 | Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Age Difference, Angst, Body Worship, Bullying, Classroom Sex, Cunnilingus, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, First Time, Fluff, Humor, Masturbation, Pining, Public Sex, Teacher-Student Relationship, Water Sex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:40:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>54,946</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23561686</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/pseuds/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Maki came into her freshman year of university expecting to focus entirely on her studies. Her future career as a doctor didn't leave much room for anything else. However, a sudden, unwanted attraction to one of her professors has her questioning everything about herself... and how far she's willing to go for a simple crush.</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNIZofPB8ZM</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ayase Eli/Toujou Nozomi, Nishikino Maki &amp; Toujou Nozomi, Nishikino Maki/Sonoda Umi, Takami Chika/Tsushima Yoshiko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>229</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>148</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Make Like a Tree and Pine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Well, here it is. Welcome to my new multi-chap fic! My 200th fic posted on this website. It's hard to believe, four years after making my account here, I'm still here and writing Love Live fics. I never would've expected this, but I'm still glad to be here. I've read some great fics, made some great friends. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Now, after over a million words posted here, I feel good about making this fic my 200th.</p><p>I've had this idea for quite awhile now, and I had planned on it being one of my '20k-30k word pining fics that involve lots of anxiety and end up with incredible sex' (e.g. Shameless and Gold-Digging for Love). However, it became clear two days ago that this was going to become more than that. The fact that it's already at 27k words and has more to go shows me that being a long one-shot is not in this fic's future. So I've decided to split it up into multiple chapters. How many there will be, I haven't determined yet. </p><p>The first two chapters will be about the same length (3k), but other chapters may be a lot longer depending on what scenario I'm writing. The fic will focus on Maki, but there'll be at least a couple of chapters which have Umi in the guiding role. As I start posting more chapters, I'll update the relationships and tags (there's at least one more relationship to bring in, which you'll see mentioned in chapter 3), plus the rating. This'll go from T to E real quick, so watch for that. I'll keep y'all updated in the notes as to what's changing.</p><p>Hope y'all enjoy this one!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Historical Japanese Literature wasn't a class that, on merits alone, was one of Maki's favorite classes. When it came to her future profession as a doctor, there wouldn't be much need to read many works outside of medical textbooks. She <em>would </em>consider herself literate, though she didn't read as many books as one might think for someone of her high intellect. The reason she had chosen the class was because it was her first year at university, and she needed a class or two to fill in between the required courses. It seemed like something that was both interesting enough to hold her attention, as well as a class that she could drop in casual conversation to let people know how well-learned she was.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>The first day she walked into the classroom, she was immediately struck by another reason to take that class. She had walked in, suppressing a yawn from having to wake up so early. Early mornings had been a given in high school, and she knew it would continue during the rest of her life. That didn't mean she wanted to wake up early <em>every </em>day, however. She had sort of hoped that university would allow her the luxury of sleeping in, but at least when it came to her literature class, she would not be granted such a luxury. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>As she did in all of her classes, she took a seat at the front of the classroom: the better to hear what the professor was saying. On that first day, she sat down, putting her bag down underneath the table. She looked up to face the front, and felt the breath stolen from her lungs. Standing in front of the whiteboard was the most stunning woman she had ever seen in her entire life. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Professor Umi Sonoda's amber eyes scanned the classroom, watching as her students began to file in. She wouldn't notice one specific student whom, at the moment, only had eyes for her. Her deep blue hair cascaded halfway down her back, framing a stunningly perfect face. Though her eyes seemed to brim with kindness, the stoic line of her lips gave off an air of a professor that meant business.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The same applied to her attire. She wore a blue button-up shirt, similar in color to her hair, with a jet-black blazer over it. A tight pencil skirt, black as well, went down to her knees, doing a stupendous job of showing off her long legs. She was also wearing a pair of black heels, which helped her gain a bit of a height advantage over her students. At least the shorter ones, anyway. Everything about her, from her dress to her expression to her aura, screamed that she was in charge and utterly gorgeous. Maki was smitten right off the bat.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>This wasn't a feeling she was used to. She'd never truly stopped to think about her sexuality or what sorts of people she might like in a more intimate sense. None of her classmates had ever made her heart start to beat faster than it should, either from an appearance or a personality perspective. She had never experienced that 'celebrity crush' so many girls spoke of. To be perfectly honest, she had never even been sure whether she was into men or women. It had never been something she had to think about. For a future doctor, a relationship seemed utterly superfluous.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>While she couldn't say that having her heart nearly bust out of her ribcage over one woman explained everything, it did make her second-guess her belief that relationships were 'superfluous'. She found it impossible to take her eyes off of Professor Sonoda, even to see if any of her peers - or, worse, the professor herself - had noticed her shameless ogling. Was this how it felt to fall in love at first sight?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She had to shake herself out of such a stupid stupor. How could she say she was falling in love at first sight? For starters, she still didn't have time for relationships. It was much more important to focus on getting top marks in all her classes before she started to try and change her Facebook relationship status. This was clearly just her brain having a reaction without any real merits. She had never believed in love at first sight, having found it to be a ridiculous fictional trope. Just because she felt quite warm after first laying eyes on Professor Sonoda didn't mean she should change her stance on the matter.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>On top of all that, this was her <em>professor </em>she was having sudden-onset feelings for. Not only was she probably twice her age, but student-teacher relationships were strictly forbidden. There was no way she was going to throw away her necessary and expensive education just because her brain suddenly decided that it wanted to hold hands with a woman she just met. She would risk getting expelled, and Professor Sonoda would risk losing her job, all for a nonsensical fling. There was no way she would allow herself to fall down to those depths.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>That was how she felt on the first day of class, and she was able to get through that day with relatively little distraction. She took in everything Professor Sonoda had to say, taking notes and being the good student that she always prided herself on being. Her grade school bullies had always derisively called her a 'teacher's pet,' but that derogatory moniker no longer bothered her. If being a studious individual was a negative to the student body at large, then she didn't care to interact with them anyway.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>So that was the first day, and she had done a pretty good job, if she said so herself. Now, however, two months had passed since that moment, and truthfully, she had not done such a good job. She'd tried her very best, and let no one say otherwise. Every single time she walked into that classroom, she would mentally prepare herself to focus exclusively on the lesson. By the time each class ended, her mind was almost completely empty of anything she had learned. There was only so much room for the lessons when she was thinking about Professor Sonoda.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It was time to admit to herself, once and for all, that she was a failure of a young adult. Instead of focusing on her classes, she was thinking about her professor. All of the warnings she had told herself on day one had been acknowledged but unheeded. Now, it wasn't as if she was failing all of her classes. Her other classes were going just fine, in fact. It was a lot of work, but she was managing it as well as she always had. She wasn't even doing bad in Professor Sonoda's class either. It was just... so hard to not get distracted.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>When Professor Sonoda would walk around the front of the class during a test, Maki struggled terribly to not stare. She'd force her eyes down to her paper, chewing on her lower lip as she'd hear the light clacking of her professor's heels against the floor. Only when she was sure that she wouldn't be caught did she dare to look up. More times than not, she'd end up staring blatantly at Professor Sonoda's ass, so firm-looking in her tight pencil skirt. It would make her let out a longing, girlish sigh each time she laid eyes on it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>On the outside, she remained as composed and aloof as ever. On the inside, however, she felt like her very soul was being torn apart. When she was alone with her thoughts, she knew exactly what her brain would conjure up. She tried her hardest to distract herself as much as possible, but then Professor Sonoda would invade her mind and her concentration would be shot. The worst time was at night, when she'd lie in bed and think of Professor Sonoda lying next to her. She'd wrap a strong, comforting arm around her young body, ready to teach her eager student <em>everything </em>she wanted to know.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The nights where she held those thoughts in her brain were the ones where she felt the guiltiest. It was bad enough that she had gained a crush on her professor, but thinking of her in such a lewd manner was much worse. She was asking for trouble, and she was receiving it in the worst way possible. The fact that she was even <em>considering </em>throwing her entire university education away just for a chance at having a relationship with a professor she hardly knew proved that she wasn't quite as smart as she made herself out to be.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She did her best to make herself believe that she <em>did </em>know things about her professor, though. For starters, she was a strict but fair teacher. She was always willing to help her students if they didn't understand something, but she would never take any of their bullshit. If she felt that someone was deliberately not pulling their weight, she'd uncaringly remark that the door was over there. She also seemed to truly care about what she was teaching. It wasn't just a job where she was taking it day by day in order to get tenure. Maki would notice her eyes light up and a tight-lipped smile begin to form when she would talk about an old stanza that she had particular fondness for. Those were the works that she would take the most notes on.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>In truth, the distractions and the guilt had been taking their toll on her. Two months into her first semester, she found herself struggling to even eat: the guilt was wringing her stomach dry, making her not want to put anything near her gullet. Though her stomach would whine and rumble, she just couldn't make herself eat. She would wake up repeatedly in the middle of the night due to Professor Sonoda's visage constantly invading her dreams. They were wonderful dreams, but they would feel like nightmares when she was forced awake. All of her wayward feelings were swallowing her alive, and she needed to tell someone, or she was going to go insane.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Now, there were only so many people she could tell. She wasn't friends with anyone in her classes, and telling Professor Sonoda would be counterproductive to an extreme that mankind had yet to see. At this point in her life, she really only had one person she considered a friend: Nozomi Toujou. The two of them had been childhood friends, and despite being two grades apart, they'd kept as close as Maki could with another human. There was no one else she really <em>could </em>tell, though considering how Nozomi often acted, it wasn't exactly her best option.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Wow, I never would have pegged you as a cougar chaser." That was the first thing Nozomi said when Maki had reluctantly admitted her plight over lunch at Nozomi's dorm. It had taken her nearly twenty seconds to respond, however, because she couldn't stop grinning like a madwoman. As soon as she started to grin like that, Maki knew that she should have just kept that shameful secret to herself. While she did trust Nozomi to keep anything she was told a secret, that didn't mean she would be anything less than absolutely obnoxious about it. It was just in her nature to be that bitch. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'd appreciate it more if you didn't speak." She narrowed her eyes at Nozomi, which did nothing to quell the giddy expression on her face. To be fair, it never did. For as long as she'd known Nozomi, she'd never been able to gain advantage over her. She was always in control, and she was way too happy to tease her closest friend as often as she could. Other people had friends who stood with them through every trial and tribulation with incredible determination. It was only natural that <em>her</em> best friend would be the one to call herself her 'full time friend, part time spiritual adviser.'</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"But then how could I help you? I'm taking Russian, not sign language." She always had a cheeky response to everything Maki said. It was annoying. Sighing, Maki slumped back against her chair. "What is it about Umi that entices you so much? In all my years of being your friend, the one thing I've never been able to figure out was your type." Maki lifted herself back up, finding Nozomi staring at her with what seemed like legit curiosity in her eyes.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well, she's beautiful, for starters." Maki blushed when she admitted out loud that she found her professor attractive. "Every time she walks by me, I can't stop looking at her. It's like her presence demands my captivation. There's more to it than looks, though," she quickly added, not wanting Nozomi to think she was some kind of pervert. There was already one too many of those in their friendship. "I like the way she teaches too. She cares so much about her students, but she won't allow herself to be walked over. There's this air of confidence that surrounds her, and I can <em>feel </em>it all the way from my seat, you know?" Why would she think Nozomi would know when she didn't really know herself?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Hmm..." Nozomi rubbed her chin in thought, eyes unfocused as she stared at nothing. Then she closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and leaned back in her chair. "So you like authoritative women, huh? Women who are independent and willing to be there for you during life's troubling trials, perhaps." Maki frowned slightly, unsure if any of that was true, or if she <em>wanted </em>it to be true. "Is it hot to you that she's twice your age?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"What? No!" Maki sputtered, her face going as red as her favorite fruit. "It doesn't matter how old she is. I mean, it does, but... Rrr!" She pressed two fingers against her temples, groaning in frustration. "Also, she is <em>not </em>twice my age! She is only thirty-five, thank you very much." From the way Nozomi was grinning at her, she had a feeling that didn't help matters any. "I am <em>not</em> a cougar chaser!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Sure, sure," Nozomi laughed, putting her elbows on the table and cradling her chin in her hands. "As your pro bono therapist, I have a couple different pieces of advice I can give you. It just depends on what you want to do from here." Maki tilted her head, silently urging Nozomi to continue. She may have been an annoying little git, but she did have good advice. Sometimes... "Are you willing to pursue your professor, or do you want to nip this in the bud right now?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Pursue her?! Absolutely not!" Maki's jaw dropped, barely able to believe that Nozomi would suggest she'd even attempt such a thing. "Do you have any idea how much trouble we'd get in? I can't risk my future on silly, fleeting emotions." She slumped in her chair, a sigh escaping her lips as a rare bout of outward self-doubt. "Besides, even <em>if</em> someone as gorgeous and accomplished as her would throw away her academic career for a fling with a student, she wouldn't do that with me."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki..." It was Nozomi's turn to sigh. Maki was usually a very confident girl, sometimes to the detriment of her own social standing. She could freely admit that her best friend had the looks of a model and the brains of a genius. Whoever didn't want to run their fingers through her soft, luxurious red hair and whisper sweet nothings in her ears were crazy. Or maybe straight. "I have no doubts that plenty of teachers would throw away their tenure to give you the ten-inch-ure."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"How do you get laid with puns that bad?" Groaning, Maki shook her head in a sad wonder. Still, it did make her smile ever-so-slightly, so there was that. That had probably been Nozomi's intention all along, the sneaky minx. "Actually, don't answer that. I already know." She nodded her head towards Nozomi's oversized chest, which made Nozomi smirk. "I'm not going to do anything about it, okay? This isn't a risk I can take, and even <em>if </em>she was interested in me, she shouldn't take that risk either."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"In that case, you need to find ways to keep yourself distracted." Nozomi knew when Maki was being resolute about something, and this wasn't one of those times. She was having a great internal struggle about what she should do: follow her brain or her libido. If she had to make a bet, she knew where she would plunk her yen down. It was just a matter of Maki getting herself to the inevitable outcome. "Why don't we take some walks together? I've got lots of topics we can talk about that'll take your mind off of ol' Umi."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Do I have to listen to you talk about astrology?" As a young woman grounded in reality, she found it hard to believe that the day of her birth, along with the positioning of the stars, determined who she was and how she lived her life. It seemed far-fetched on the best of days. Between her talks of astrology, tarot cards, and old European mystics, Nozomi had some weird hobbies.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well, it <em>could </em>help you figure out what to do with your current conundrum. Now, with Mars currently in-"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'll pass."</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Don't Need These Conversations...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>When Professor Sonoda praises Maki for how she's doing in class, Maki can no longer keep her fantasies from invading her mind. The bedroom becomes the only safe haven for her embarrassing desires.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well, here it is: the chapter that brings us right back up to an E rating. This is familiar territory, I'm sure.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>Another two months went by, and things had not gotten any better. Maki had tried anything she could to take her mind off of Professor Sonoda. She threw herself into her classwork as hard as she could, going beyond what was required of her just so she had something to occupy her mind. Those walks Nozomi had suggested did help as well, even if she learned more about what made her an Aries than she could have ever desired. When there was free time that could potentially get her brain off track, she'd jump into a game of Call of Duty: Black Ops II and shut her brain down.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>However, going back to Professor Sonoda's class would reset any of the progress she made. It was impossible for her to spend the entirety of the class <em>not </em>looking at the person teaching said class, so she'd be forced to look up and all her feelings would come crashing back down on her. Seeing her teach with a quiet but powerful demeanor just made her fall for her more. She'd have her chin in her hand, staring at the professor and letting out a wistful sigh. It was embarrassing how she was acting: like some sort of love-struck loser lady from a teenage romance movie.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Things came to a head during an event that should have been a great moment in her life. It still was, of course. Just... what happened ended up carving a slide beneath the ground she stood on, and she slid, slid, slid down into an abyss of bad ideas and lovelorn feelings that nothing was ever going to pull her out of. It all started with what should have been a simple compliment.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki?" She nearly jumped out of her shoes when she heard Professor Sonoda's voice. Maki had been trying to get out of the classroom before she found herself glued to her seat, smitten by the beautiful woman in front of her, but apparently fate had other plans. "Can I speak with you for a moment?" She had stopped in place, swallowing thickly. What could Professor Sonoda want with her? Did she <em>know</em>? How could she possibly know?!</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yes, Professor Sonoda?" She turned and walked over to the professor's desk, trying to remain as composed as she could. That was easier said than done, though. Her insides were churning at a rate that was off the charts, and she could feel her palms beginning to sweat. She curled her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palms as she prayed that her face wasn't betraying how terrified she felt inside.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I just wanted to congratulate you on your recent test score. You got the highest grade in the class." Maki blinked, staring blankly at Professor Sonoda. She... was congratulating her? They hadn't gotten the grades back on the latest test they took, but it sounded like they were about to. She was just getting a sneak peak into her triumph at said test.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Oh, I..." She was struggling to get any words out. This was supposed to be a triumphant moment. Despite the constant distraction at having a hot-as-hell professor, she had worked extra hard in that class to make sure Professor Sonoda would be proud of her. It mostly involved working and studying in her dorm, but she was dedicated to making sure she was considered the top student in that class specifically. Now that she <em>was </em>getting the praise she had so desperately desired, she could barely acknowledge it. "I'm glad to hear that, Professor. Thank you."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Not all of my students work as hard as I know they can, so to see you putting so much effort into your work makes me happy." She certainly did seem happy. The smile on her face felt incredibly warm and genuine. It was the same kind of smile she had when she was talking about a particular historical topic she enjoyed, but this wasn't about that. She was smiling because of <em>her </em>hard work. She was smiling for <em>her</em>. "You've been a wonderful student this semester, Maki."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Th-Thank you..." There was no doubt that she was sweating up a storm now. She felt faint, yet light as a feather. Getting compliments and praise from the woman she had been thirsting over for four months injected so much serotonin into her brain that she nearly overdosed. "I want to do my best for you, Professor Sonoda." There was something else that happened, though: something that made her face start to go red. She could feel her panties starting to dampen, her arousal sharp and palpable. Gods, was she getting turned on from being praised by her crush?!</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I always appreciate seeing that kind of attitude from my students. Thank you for your time, Maki." That was the sign that she was being dismissed. Nodding her head shakily, she walked unsteadily out of the classroom. When she made it into the hall, all the other students had left. She pressed her back against the wall next to the door, putting a hand over her heart. Several people walked by and looked at her funny, but they didn't pay her much mind. They probably just thought she was having a panic attack, which was common at school.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Now, she <em>was </em>kind of having a panic attack, but it wasn't because of her assignments. Most students were having existential crises about their grades or their future. For her, she was losing her mind over her wet she was getting because she was so hot for her Historical Japanese Literature professor. This was ridiculous! She had felt she'd been doing alright over the past two months, but a simple compliment from Professor Sonoda had made her come completely undone.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It wasn't simple to her, though. Compliments from other people were simple. When it came from Professor Sonoda, it took on a different meaning. Those words, simple though they may seem, were everything to her. She already enjoyed being praised in general, since it validated everything she did and proved that she wasn't becoming a failure to the Nishikino name. It meant so much more when it came from someone she absolutely adored. Of course, there was the problem that it had made her wet, like a <em>pervert</em>.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She had been telling herself since middle school that she wouldn't end up like Nozomi. Her best friend was flirtatious to a fault, always wearing provocative outfits and getting way too handsy with casual acquaintances. If Title IX couldn't stop her, then what would? While she wouldn't tell Nozomi that she couldn't act the way she did, it just wasn't how she personally carried herself. She had always thought that would never be her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Now, as she power walked her way to her dorm, the wetness sticking to her thighs remained a sobering reminder that she wasn't any better than her horny friend. With how close she lived to campus, she had figured it'd be healthier for her to get some fresh air and a nice walk to and from class rather than driving everywhere. While normally that was helpful, sore legs aside, today it just heightened the reminder of how <em>bad </em>she was. Each time she took a step, she could feel her panties rubbing against her crotch, and she'd be reminded just how wet she was. It was blissfully torturous.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>When she got back to her dorm, she made a beeline for her room. She slammed the door shut, tossing her bag on the ground. That was how she could tell this was serious: normally, she would <em>never </em>just leave her bag on the ground like a slob. She would meticulously remove the contents and place them in their proper places. There wasn't time for that at the moment, though: there were bigger problems to focus on.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She reached down and popped open the button of her jeans, pulling down the zipper. The flaps of her jeans opened up, giving a small peek of the scarlet panties beneath. Her jeans were removed quickly after that, sliding down her legs until she could step out of them. Standing there in a red polo shirt and matching panties, she sat down on her bed and, after taking a deep breath, looked between her legs.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She grimaced at the sight of a large wet spot on the crotch of her panties, turning the dark red hue darker. Without thinking about what she was doing, she brushed her fingers across her crotch, hissing out in pleasure. Was she really about to do what she was thinking of doing? She'd tried <em>so </em>hard to not let herself think lewd thoughts about her professor. Even when she had occasionally touched herself, she would work overtime to force her mind to think of <em>anything </em>else, which sometimes involved thoughts that she would never be able to tell Nozomi about in good conscious. It looked like she was going to lose her composure today, though.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Laying down on her bed, Maki put her hand inside her panties and got to work. She slid her fingers across her slit, gritting her teeth as she teased herself. Perhaps it was a just punishment for the terrible thoughts she was going to have, but it just made her more shamefully excited for what was about to come. Her mind was already gearing up for the thoughts that she'd tried to keep at bay for months. Now the dam was leaking, and there was no way for her to plug up all the holes before the entire structure came crashing down.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She continued to tease herself, whether to punish herself or ratchet up her future pleasure. Admittedly, she wasn't well-versed in the realm of sex. She <em>knew </em>things, but more from a clinical perspective. After all, what kind of doctor would she be if she knew <em>nothing </em>about genitalia and what one did with them? That was all theoretical knowledge, though. Its practical use was just to finger herself every few days, if she was feeling it. With Professor Sonoda flooding her mind, she was definitely feeling it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>When she pushed two of her fingers inside herself, she immediately bucked up against them. Letting out a hiss between gritted teeth, she shut her eyes tight. That allowed her brain to truly get to work as she started to finger herself. Without the sights of her real, empty bedroom, she could imagine whatever she wanted. It didn't take someone as smart as her to know what was going through her mind.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>In her mind, she could see Professor Sonoda standing at the foot of her bed. She could see her shrugging off her blazer, unbuttoning each button on her shirt. Every move she made was incredibly elegant, and it drove her crazy knowing that she couldn't reach out and touch the woman in her fantasies. Still, she kept imagining it, watching her professor remove the rest of her outerwear and crawl onto the bed. Her brain wasn't able to focus on Professor Sonoda's underwear: she knew it was there, but she wasn't thinking hard enough about what kind or what color.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Instead, she was thinking mostly about what her professor would do to her. She imagined that Professor Sonoda would pull her fingers out of her panties and replace them with her own. Pumping her fingers steadily, she could feel Umi lording over her. Remembering how warm her smile was when she praised her work ethic, she felt like she was melting into the bedsheets. Her fingers moved faster, wishing that they were someone else's. Someone as worldly as Professor Sonoda could make her feel pleasures that she had never been able to bring about for herself.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She had to use a hand to muffle herself, as she could feel her moans getting louder than she meant them to be. None of her neighbors needed to realize what she was doing, even if masturbation was a perfectly normal thing for a young adult to do. Pressing her fist against her lips, she whimpered into it as her fingers moved faster inside herself. Instead of her fist, however, she was imagining that she was being silenced by Professor Sonoda's lips.</p>
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  <p>With no idea of how Professor Sonoda's lips actually tasted, her mind defaulted to her favorite food: tomatoes. She had a feeling that her professor wasn't munching on tomatoes for snacks, but it gave her a perverse sense of pleasure to taste a hint of them on her lips. It made her feel like her professor <em>knew</em> what she liked, and was using it to drive her crazy.</p>
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  <p>Her panties had already been wet, but they were positively soaked now as she slammed her fingers in and out of her pussy. Breathing heavily against her fist, she could feel Professor Sonoda's warmth enveloping her body. It was making her feel <em>too </em>heated, sweat pouring into her shirt and making it stick to her skin. Unable to take it any longer, she was forced to break her illusion. Panting hard, she opened her eyes and jumped onto her feet, quickly discarding her clothes. Her polo, her bra, and her soaked panties were all unceremoniously dropped onto the floor, letting her jump back onto the bed with nothing covering her burning body. There wasn't anything that would hide her from the illusion of her crush's eyes running across her, boring into her very soul.</p>
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  <p>Wanting to give herself some extra pleasure, she flipped herself over so she could press her face into her pillow. On her knees, ass raised, she furiously fingered herself while simultaneously pawing at her breasts. She pinched down on her sensitive nipples, crying out into her pillowcase. Now she was imagining that Professor Sonoda had put her into that position, lifting her ass up so she could slam her fingers into her pussy from behind. Her pussy was dripping onto her bedsheets, and she couldn't care less.</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>'You're such a good student, Maki.' </em>She could hear Professor Sonoda's voice in her ear, silky and stern, but with a truth that she so desperately wished to believe. <em>'You make me proud to be a teacher at this school.' </em>She moaned desperately into her pillow, bucking down on her fingers. Were her thoughts self-serving? Objectively, yes. This was <em>her </em>fantasy, though, and she got to think of whatever she wanted.</p>
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  <p>"Professor Sonoda..." She whimpered, moving her thumb to start rubbing against her clit. Sharp gasps intermingled with her constant moans, her legs shaking as she bucked non-stop. She wasn't sure whether she would cum or fall over first, but she refused to stop. Professor Sonoda surely wouldn't stop. After all, she was still a strict teacher, and she wouldn't tolerate a job not being completed.</p>
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  <p><em>'Cum for me, Maki. Let me feel you all over my fingers.' </em>With a muffled shriek, Maki came all over her fingers, her knees giving way and making her fall onto the bed. Her body shook as she came harder than she ever had in her life, the illusion of Professor Sonoda behind her shifting violently. It was like a pool of water on a hot summer road: shimmering, only to disappear when one got too close. When she came down from her orgasm, the visage of her professor was gone. It was just her alone in her room with stained bedsheets and wet fingers.</p>
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  <p>Slowly pulling her fingers out of herself, Maki rolled over, grimacing when she felt the wet spot on her sheets pressing against her back. Opening her eyes, she felt a stab of disappointment when she saw no one else on her bed. She knew that she had just imagined Professor Sonoda defiling her in the best way possible, but it still sucked to know that it had all been a figment of her imagination. Her fingers could <em>never </em>substitute for what her professor could do to her, she was sure of it.</p>
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  <p>Sighing deeply, she was now becoming all-too aware of how carried away she had gotten. Though her body protested, wanting to continue to just lay still, she got back onto her feet. She cringed at the large stain she'd left on her bedsheets. Shaking her head, she yanked her sheets off the bed, her pillows falling onto the floor as the sheets fell on top of her clothes. It was like there was a fog in her brain, making it hard to concentrate on doing things properly. The only thing that was able to penetrate such a fog was a certain professor that she was thirsting over like a desert wanderer.</p>
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  <p>It took her longer than usual, but she was able to bundle up her sheets and toss them in the corner. They would go in the wash eventually, but for now, they needed to just be out of the way. Before that, though, she used them to clean herself up. Since they were dirty anyway, would it really hurt to add a bit more of her juices? Besides, she didn't have a towel on her, and she didn't want to put back on her wet panties just to go into the bathroom and clean herself up. </p>
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  <p>With a fresh pair of panties on, she put her polo and jeans back on, but her clothes couldn't cover her shame. She had cleaned her fingers off on the sheets, but she could still <em>feel </em>what she had done with them. Worse, she could vividly remember what she had thought about while doing it. If she left her eyes closed for too long, she could still see Professor Sonoda sitting on her bed, on her knees, licking her juices off her fingers with a sultry, experienced smile.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>This had become more than she could handle. For all her book smarts, she was a moron of the highest caliber when it came to matters of the heart. Or, well, the libido... It was clear that she wasn't going to be able to just forget about Professor Sonoda: her brain would not let her. There was only one person she could call to guide her through the most troubling time in her life since she got a B+ on a math test. With a long, deep sigh, she pulled out her phone and called Nozomi.</p>
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  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. You've Gotta Dress to Impress</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Maki confides in Nozomi, looking for advice on how to sway her strict professor. As she should have expected, Nozomi's advice isn't something she's fully comfortable with.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>"I had a feeling we'd be having this conversation." Nozomi looked way too smug for her own good. The two of them were sitting on Nozomi's dorm room couch, with Nozomi chilling in a low-cut purple top and matching panties. It was like she didn't have a guest over or something. Ever since high school, she'd let herself be quite comfortable around Maki. A bit <em>too </em>comfortable, in Maki's opinion.</p>
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  <p>"You did <em>not </em>know anything," Maki retorted, crossing her arms and staring at the black screen of the television. Of course, she could only verbally deny what was true. Even without believing in her mystical mumbo-jumbo, Maki knew that Nozomi was much more perceptive than the average person. Sometimes it really <em>did </em>feel like she could see through one's soul and pull out every little secret they tried so desperately to hide. It wouldn't surprise her if she'd truly been expecting this conversation from the beginning.</p>
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  <p>"Uh huh... So, now that you've tried and failed to stop thinking about her, lemme give ya some advice." She placed a hand on Maki's shoulder, looking as sage as she possibly could. Of course, she still looked like a smug little shit, and Maki couldn't stop herself from frowning deeply. "You're afraid of getting in trouble. I understand that. You've got a lot riding on your education. This woman's going to drive you mad for the rest of time, though. And think about it: won't you regret not going for your hot teacher when you're older?"</p>
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  <p>"I think I'll regret getting expelled more than that." Nozomi had a point, sort of. She really wasn't going to be able to get Professor Sonoda out of her mind. As hard as she'd tried, she still ended up masturbating to vivid thoughts of her. As far as she was concerned, there was really no going back from that. "It's just... so frustrating, Nozomi. I <em>know </em>how much trouble I'll get into for pursuing this, and I don't even think she'd <em>want </em>to do this with me, or <em>any </em>student, period. She's just..." She waved her hands around, as if that would explain everything. "She's the most amazing woman I've ever met."</p>
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  <p>"Heyyy," Nozomi pouted, pushing out her impressive chest. "More amazing than your bestest friend in the whole wide world?"</p>
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  <p>"Absolutely." Maki stared back with no amusement in her eyes. "Okay, so are you going to help me or what, oh amazing one?"</p>
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  <p>"Of course!" Grinning from ear to ear, Nozomi slid her arm across Maki's shoulders, leaning in way too close. "Let me be honest with you, Maki dear: I think you should go for it. And before you say anything-" A sensible thing to say, since Maki was just about to interrupt with how that would be immoral and impossible. "I want you to know that I'm in the same boat as you. Keep this between us, but I'm also fucking one of my professors."</p>
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  <p>"You're <em>what</em>?!" Maki shouted, staring at Nozomi with wide, disbelieving eyes. Well, okay, she <em>could </em>believe that Nozomi would do such a thing. Believing was one thing, though. Actually doing it...? "You can't be serious."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'm being for real, Maki. I'm boning one of my professors, and let it be known that sex with an older woman is <em>divine</em>." She closed her eyes and smiled, apparently reminiscing about the times the two of them had spent in the bedroom. Maki was still in a state of shock. "You know my Russian Language III professor?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Professor Ayase?" Nozomi nodded, and Maki thought on it for a moment. When it clicked, she slapped Nozomi on the arm. "You're fucking Professor Ayase?!" She hissed out, keeping her voice down so as not to alert any of Nozomi's neighbors to what they were talking about. As ashamed as she was of Nozomi's actions, she wasn't about to rat her out. Especially considering her own less-than-savory thoughts about a professor.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Been fuckin' her since my freshman year." She looked so damn proud of herself. That was typical Nozomi. "I worried about the same things you are now. What if we got caught and both our asses got booted out of university? What if she spurned me and reported me to the board of directors? In the end, though, I decided to go for it. Do you know why?"</p>
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  <p>"Because you can't think beyond your vagina?"</p>
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  <p>"Uh, rude?" Nozomi couldn't help but laugh, though. "Seriously, it's because I realized that I wanted to go for it. You only get so many chances to do certain things. What if I never got a chance to bang a teacher?" Maki wanted to point out that most people never bothered thinking of that, but Nozomi kept talking before she could bring that up. "Besides, Eli's smoking hot, and she's a wonderful professor. I just had to go for it, and as you can tell, it worked!"</p>
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  <p>"I suppose so..." Sighing, Maki leaned back against the couch. Maybe Nozomi was right. The two of them had been in similar spots, and Nozomi had gone for it. Over two years later, neither of them had been caught, and Nozomi certainly seemed happy. Then again, she usually seemed pretty happy. "How did you do it, then? How did you get her to take that risk with you?"</p>
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  <p>"Oh? So you're gonna go for it, then?" Maki didn't respond at first, pursuing her lips as she stared at Nozomi. Then, when Nozomi's grin didn't abate, her shoulders slumped as she nodded. "Great! Okay, so I started to dress sexily in class. Nothing that would get me arrested for indecent exposure, but enough to get eyes on me. Other students were looking, of course, but my eyes were all on Eli and her beautiful blues." She sighed happily, losing herself in thought again. Maki had to smack her shoulder to snap her back to the present.</p>
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  <p>"I don't have any outfits like that. It's not exactly something I was considering when purchasing my clothes. Besides, you have a certain 'advantage' over me." She pointedly looked down at Nozomi's chest. It wasn't as if Maki was completely lacking in that area. By the same she graduated high school, her breasts had grown to a decent-enough size. She was pretty proud of them, anyway. They were never going to be on Nozomi's level, though. Her breasts were <em>huge</em>, and combined with the kind of outfits Nozomi wore on the daily, they drew dozens of stares whenever she went outside. Honestly, it didn't surprise her that even someone like Professor Ayase would find herself staring as well. That wasn't a hurdle she could overcome. Though she <em>was </em>going to be a doctor, and breast implants were <em>technically </em>something she should be able to do...</p>
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  <p>"You've probably never heard me say this before, but big breasts aren't <em>always </em>an advantage. Yes, plenty of people like 'em big, but that doesn't mean everyone does. Each person has their own preference: you just have to figure out what it is." How was she supposed to do that? She couldn't just go up to Professor Sonoda and ask her what type of women she liked... if she liked women at all. Oh Gods, what if she wasn't even a lesbian? That would just make things awkward on top of the awkwardness it was already liable to be.</p>
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  <p>"I-I don't think I can do this..." Her confidence was rapidly evaporating out of her pores. She shrunk down against the couch, seeming smaller than she actually was. </p>
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  <p>"Sure you can, Maki. Don't wuss out on me now." She suddenly stood up, determination burning in her eyes. "You're gorgeous, Maki. You really are. I personally have seen plenty of guys and gals looking at you as you runway walk across campus. Once Professor Sonoda realizes what you're about, she won't be able to take her eyes off you either." She grabbed Maki's hand, tugging on it. "Stand up and hold onto your wallet, Maki. We're going to get you gussied up like the belle of the ball!"</p>
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  <p>"Gods..." At least she'd be spending her money on herself this time. Maybe she ought to follow Nozomi's lead, though. Clearly she knew what she was doing, as she'd been doing one of her professors for two years now. That didn't mean Professor Ayase was the same as Professor Sonoda, but if any of Nozomi's advice stuck... Maybe, just maybe, she would actually get to screw her literature professor. The thought sent a shot of warmth up and down her body. "Where exactly are we going?"</p>
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  <p>"I've got a special spot that I like to buy my unmentionables from." She winked at Maki. "I'll always mention them to you, though." Maki rolled her eyes, though her eyes then naturally sunk down to Nozomi's butt. Walking towards her room to get ready to head out, the sway in her hips made it seem like she was showing off her stupid, fat ass for Maki's benefit. Her 'unmentionables', as they were, only covered half of her cheeks. Whether that was intentional or not... Oh, who was she kidding? Of <em>course </em>it was intentional.</p>
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  <p>"I don't need to see any more of your underwear than I already am," she scoffed, forcing herself to look anywhere else. With her arms crossed, only the blush on her face gave away that she was feeling a certain way. "Just hurry up, alright? I don't want to wait forever for you to get ready to go."</p>
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  <p>"Just because you throw on whatever pair of jeans you find in your closet first doesn't mean we're all slow dressers. We're just slow compared to <em>you</em>." Maki rolled her eyes again, a usual action when it came to Nozomi. Impatient as she was, she stepped into Nozomi's room so she could at least keep an eye on her 'progress'. Of course, as foolish as she was, that meant she got to see her best friend pulling off her shirt. Seeing her bare backside would have made her spit out her drink if she'd been hydrating at all that day.</p>
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  <p>"Why are you not wearing a bra?!" Leave it to Nozomi to be as under-dressed as possible.</p>
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  <p>"Why are you watching me undress, pervert?" Nozomi looked over shoulder, smirking at the range of emotions that ran across Maki's face. She was just so <em>easy </em>to tease. "I'm not going to take <em>that </em>long, so don't get your panties in a twist. Besides..." She couldn't resist twisting in the proverbial knife just a little bit more. "Would <em>Professor Sonoda </em>like you staring at another girl's ass?"</p>
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  <p>"I-I am not doing that!" Maki shot back, hoping that her nose wasn't growing too noticeably. "B-Besides, does <em>Professor Ayase</em> like you taking off your clothes in front of another girl?!" There: that was a legitimate shot across the bow. She actually felt a bit in control for once. It was never easy to have that when Nozomi held it in her hands constantly.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"She doesn't mind." Oh come <em>on</em>! "I've told her about our friendship and how close we are, so she knows that just because I'm comfortable walking around you in my underwear doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly jump in bed with you." Okay, that was... a fair point. That was actually a rather mature point from the most immature person she knew. It was kind of annoying, actually. How was she supposed to continue rebuking Nozomi when she was being sensible for once?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Fine, fine. Let's just go, okay?" She tried her best not to stare as Nozomi put on a flowing purple dress, brushing her hair over her shoulder before the two of them were able to leave the room and head for the front door.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Alright, let's do this!" Nozomi cheered, pumping a fist. She was pretty fond of clothes shopping, especially <em>sexy </em>clothes shopping. Getting Maki to go with her was a near-impossible task, so she was going to relish this. "Can we take your car? I love the way people stare when we drive by in your sexy convertible."</p>
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  <p>"Fine..."</p>
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  <hr/>
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  <p>The special store Nozomi spoke of was a clothing store that was a bit out of the way. It was set up by itself, with only a restaurant across the street giving people a reason to stop by. Maki had never heard or seen of the place, which made her wonder how Nozomi had found out about it. </p>
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  <p>It was deceptively-sized from the outside. Though it seemed like a medium-sized store at best, it felt like there were plenty of items for sale. Racks of clothing were against the walls and in the middle of the room, making it seem like they were about to enter some sort of labyrinth. Taking her hand, Nozomi guided her over to a rack of shirts. From a glance, they all seemed to have necklines that plunged much more than she was used to.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Let's see..." Nozomi ran her finger across a rack, looking closely at the multitude of shirts. Maki just stood back, unsure of what exactly they were looking for. She was about to pull out her phone just to alleviate her boredom when Nozomi let out a little gasp of triumph. "Here we go!" She pulled a red shirt - and its accompanying hanger - off of the rack. "What do you think, Maki?"</p>
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  <p>"Uhm..." Maki bit down on her lip, holding out the shirt to look at it. It was a red button-up, which wouldn't seem out of place in her own closet. The only difference was that the buttons stopped lower than she was used to. If she put it on, she had no doubt that it would show more of her breasts than she was comfortable with. "There's a lot of cleavage, isn't there?"</p>
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  <p>"That's the point!" Rolling her eyes, Nozomi began to walk to the other side of the store. Maki hurried to follow her, holding the shirt tightly to her chest. "If you want to grab Umi's attention, then you're gonna have ta show some skin. It'll be tasteful, I promise ya." Somehow, Maki had her doubts. Nozomi's definition of 'tasteful' was quite different than most people's. This <em>was </em>the woman who tried to take Maki to a strip club for her eighteenth birthday. She would not answer whether or not she actually agreed to go.</p>
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  <p>"Believe me when I tell you that I have no confidence whatsoever in your words." On the other side of the store, pairs of pants were folded neatly on dressers pressed against the wall. Nozomi guided her to the jeans, where she started browsing again. She sucked her lower lip into her mouth, letting it back out with a 'pop' sound. Then she sidled up behind Maki and grabbed the back of her jeans, tugging them towards her. "H-Hey! What are you doing?!"</p>
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  <p>"Checking your size, love." Maki blushed bright red as Nozomi squatted down in order to check the size of her jeans. Did she really have to do that in public? Of course she did, because she was Nozomi, and she was just that bitch. Once she had the information she needed, she let go of Maki's jeans and smiled as if she hadn't done something so... so <em>weird</em>. "Alright, I know exactly which pair of jeans to get you."</p>
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  <p>"I have jeans, though. I'm <em>wearing </em>jeans, in case you hadn't noticed." Despite that, Nozomi still picked up a pair of black jeans, peering at the size. Seemingly satisfied, she handed that to Maki as well. "What exactly is sexy about jeans?"</p>
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  <p>"Jeans are a secretly sexy pair of clothing. Don't underestimate a nice ass packed into a tight, form-fitting pair of jeans." She started to push on Maki's shoulders, trying to guide her over to the changing rooms. "C'mon Maki, let's see how you look in these! If they fit like I think they're gonna fit, then I know exactly how we're gonna refurbish your wardrobe."</p>
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  <p>"Alright, alright, stop pushing!" For a moment, she wondered if this was really worth it. Did she really need to change up her wardrobe just to try and seduce her professor? That was so... well, it certainly wasn't something she wanted to broadcast to the world, even anonymously. Then she thought about the specific professor she wanted to seduce, and she looked down at the clothing in her hands. "... This better work, Nozomi."</p>
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  <p>"Don't fret so much, Maki. I got you, I promise." Looking over her shoulder, Maki could see a surprising amount of seriousness in Nozomi's eyes. She really <em>did </em>want to help her in this crazy endeavor. Maybe she needed to trust her more. This <em>was </em>the kind of thing where Nozomi had much more experience than she did, and if she was going actually going to do this, it might not hurt <em>too </em>badly to take her advice.</p>
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  <p>She entered the changing room, making sure the door was locked. Knowing Nozomi, she'd just waltz in there to see how things were going. She kicked off her shoes, then removed her shirt and pants, leaving them on the bench that was against the wall. Standing there in her bra and panties, she looked at herself in the full-length mirror. After making sure the door was locked, she put her hands up and tentatively squeezed her breasts, lifting them up to give them a bit of extra heft. They didn't look that bad, honestly. <em>She </em>didn't look that bad. Her family's genes had been real good to her. Maybe her looks really <em>could </em>get her somewhere, at least in this case.</p>
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  <p>She carefully pulled the shirt Nozomi had picked out off its hanger, dropping the hanger and unbuttoning the shirt. Shrugging it over her shoulders, she began to button it up until she reached its apex. As she'd already noticed, it didn't go all the way up her torso: several buttons that should have been there just didn't exist. Instead, it had a neckline that dived down her chest, showing off more cleavage than she ever had in her life. She couldn't help but blush when she looked at her reflection in the mirror, but... she <em>did </em>like what she saw.</p>
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  <p><em>'Would Professor Sonoda like this?' </em>She wondered how she would react if she caught her professor trying to stare down her shirt. Gods, just the <em>thought</em> had her blushing. If it actually happened, she might lose all ability to function. Shaking herself out of it, she just really had to hope that she could keep composed should something like that happen. Not that she was expecting it to happen or anything. Professor Sonoda did not give off the aura of someone who would so blatantly ogle a student, but it might be worth a shot.</p>
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  <p>Next were the jeans. She started to pull them on, but she quickly frowned when she found it tougher than she expected. Whatever size Nozomi had chosen seemed to be too small, as she was having trouble getting it over her ass. She didn't even have that big of an ass. It was perfectly shaped, as <em>someone </em>had mentioned a few times, but it wasn't like Nozomi's jiggle factory. What had been the point of Nozomi trying to find out her size if she was going to pick a size too small?</p>
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  <p>Grumbling to herself, she tugged with all her might just to get them over her ass. They were tight enough to feel uncomfortable squeezing her waist. Pursing her lips, she took a look at her reflection. <em>'Huh...' </em>The jeans actually looked pretty good. Then again, they <em>were </em>just jeans... At least, she felt that way until she turned around so she could look at herself from the back. She was surprised to see just how much her ass stuck out the tighter the jeans were. This... had been Nozomi's plan all along, hadn't it? That minx...</p>
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  <p>She stared at herself for a moment longer, then closed her eyes and tried to imagine Professor Sonoda seeing her in that outfit. Would she find it attractive, or would she not care? In her mind, she could see her professor standing next to her, a hand on her shoulder as she looked at her with a soft smile. <em>'You look lovely today, Maki. Did you wear that outfit just for me?'</em></p>
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  <p>"Y-Yes..." She spoke those words aloud, as if she was actually talking with the real Professor Sonoda. At least her voice wasn't loud, coming out in just a whisper. Her hands started to busy themselves with the bottom of her shirt, tugging on it and making her breasts move around. It was unintentional, but she imagined Professor Sonoda staring at them all the same.</p>
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  <p><em>'I'm afraid I can't wait anymore.' </em>She swore that she felt a noticeable heat where Professor Sonoda's hands were, trailing down her side and across her stomach. <em>'I will try my best to not ruin your new outfit, but I...' </em>She turned her head, eyes closed as she imagined her professor gnawing at her lower lip. In her mind, it was the sexiest damn thing she'd ever seen. <em>'I don't know if I can keep control of myself.'</em></p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Fuck..." Maki's eyes snapped open, seeing her rapidly-reddening face in the mirror. Feeling embarrassed that she'd let her imagination get away from her, and in public no less, she quickly took off the clothes she had tried on. It wasn't easy to get the jeans off, but once they were, she put back on her much better-fitting pair. Slipping on her shirt, she got the other clothes back on their hangers and left the changing room.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"So, what did you think of the clothes?" Nozomi's grin spoke volumes. Maki blushed deeper, having a sinking suspicion that her words, quiet as they were, had been heard by her unsavory friend.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"They're fine, alright?" Rather than admitting to her shameful thoughts, she just held the clothes close to her chest. Anyone who knew her knew better than to expect her to admit to something like that. It wasn't in her nature. "I'll wear them, but I'm not expecting much." She just couldn't imagine Professor Sonoda as someone who was easily swayed by a girl's feminine wiles, regardless of sexual attraction. She was just someone who was always focused on her job, and nothing more. If it could help grease the wheels, though... "A-Are we buying more, or what?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"That's what I like to hear!" Nozomi giddily grabbed Maki's arm and pulled her back towards the racks of clothing. "Umi isn't gonna be able to keep her eyes off ya!" Though Maki was embarrassed, she couldn't help but smile slightly. At least Nozomi was trying to help in her own way, and maybe, just maybe, this would actually work. She could feel a burst of confidence burning inside her as Nozomi started picking out different shirts for her to try. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>She could do this.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. One Shot, One Opportunity</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's time for Maki to confess her feelings. Will she able to do it without dying due to embarrassment?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>She could not do this. Over the last three literature classes she'd had, she tried to play it cool. She'd worn the outfits Nozomi had picked out for her, sat in her normal seat in the front, and tried to make herself more noticeable. While she continued to be the good student she always prided herself on being, she tried to act more flirtatious as well. She'd bat her eyelashes and lean forward, thereby trying to divert attention to her cleavage. While she'd gotten quite a few more stares than she was used to, none of them had been from the person she <em>actually </em>wanted to attract.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Of course, she had known that Professor Sonoda wouldn't be an easy nut to crack. She was clearly focused on her job, and just because she thought Maki was a good student didn't mean she would deviate from her course. If she ever had an extra-long look in Maki's direction, she never noticed it. As far as she could tell, the classes were being taught just as they always were. The changes she had tried to make were all for naught. If she wanted something to happen, then she was going to have to make it happen. That was what Nozomi had told her anyway, after an afternoon of her bitterly complaining that she might as well be invisible to her professor.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>However, that was easier said than done. For her fourth class since dressing up for her crush, she had decided she would take her fate into her own hands. It would make her feel more confident if those hands weren't shaking. She had entered the classroom that morning in the red low-cut button-up and tight black jeans that Nozomi had picked out for her first. As soon as she entered, a group of three boys in the middle row immediately snapped their attention to her: specifically, to her chest. Scowling, she tried to pretend they weren't there as she headed for her desk. She needed to start wearing a jacket or something, even if it was too warm for such attire.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It wasn't the first time she had to remind herself that she had a purpose for doing this. Each time her attempts at being noticed were spurned, she felt as if she was wasting her time. Having half the guys in her class trying to lean over their desks to leer at her made her feel extraordinarily uncomfortable, and it wasn't just in the classroom either. She had to walk to class in that outfit, meaning people she'd pass would do noticeable double takes. Not everyone had the self-respect to be subtle about their staring either. Just thinking about it made her shudder.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>That particular day, she had more trouble focusing than ever before. That was because she planned on putting herself out there after class. How could she think about old books when her mind was racing, thinking about what she would say once all her classmates left? The realization that she was actually going to hit on her professor was paralyzing her brain. Scenarios of what could go wrong played in her mind like they were on a projector, showing her just what terrible fate awaited her should things go wrong.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>By the time class ended, she felt so guilty at the realization that she had barely retained any information. It made her struggle to even look up at Professor Sonoda. If they made eye contact, and she thought that Maki had actually been paying attention, she might very well have vomited all over her desk from the guilt churning in her stomach. Ugh, but she <em>wanted </em>to make eye contact with Professor Sonoda, to try and get what she wanted across without actually speaking! Why did she have to go and start crushing on someone so unobtainable, for so many reasons?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Students were filing out as she sat at her desk, lost in her own little world. She was trying to think of what she could say to get the ball rolling, but she was drawing a blank. How was one supposed to even start a conversation like that? She really should have asked Nozomi for more advice... Now she was starting to panic, holding her head in her hands as she let out a quiet whimper. It probably wasn't too late for her to run out of the room and forget that she'd even entertained such notions.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki?" Too late. She looked up from her existential crisis, finding Professor Sonoda standing at her desk with a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Uhm, I..." She looked around the classroom. There was only one other student left, and they were in the process of leaving. It was basically just her and Professor Sonoda now. The time had come to do what must be done, and she predictably felt like she was going to die. "Yeah, I uh..." She swallowed nervously, looking up into Professor Sonoda's eyes. Unfortunately, it made her feel like she was getting lost in them, which did nothing for her rapidly-drying throat.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You don't look so good, Maki." Frowning, she pressed the back of her hand against Maki's forehead, feeling for her temperature. "You do feel a tad hot." Gods, she had <em>no </em>idea... "You had better get back to your dorm and rest up. I wouldn't want you to get sick and miss any class." Miss one of Professor Sonoda's classes? Perish the thought. She could be in a coma and she'd have the doctors just wheel her into the classroom until she woke up.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'm fine, Professor," she murmured. She <em>wasn't </em>fine, but it wasn't due to any oncoming illness. At least, not a disease-born one. "I, uhm..." Well, it was now or never. If she chose to say something, there was no going back. If she left before saying what was on her mind, then she would never have the confidence to try again. "I wanted to see if you, uh... If you wanted to spend some time together." It took everything she had to not look away from Professor Sonoda's face. As hard as she tried to sound anywhere close to confident, she knew that her words sounded stupid. She could feel her face heating up, and there was no hiding that.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Professor Sonoda stared at her for a moment, as if trying to decipher what she had said. The longer they held silent eye contact, the worse her stomach began to churn. She was squirming in her seat, wondering if there was any chance her professor was staring at her chest. Was it working? Had she completely blown it with her lame invitation, or had there been no chance from the start? She had no idea, and the wait was killing her!</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Oh..." She finally responded, and from the expression on her face, Maki could already tell it wasn't positive. Frowning, there was a slight blush on her cheeks. It wasn't anywhere near what Maki's likely was at that point, but it was still visible. "So that's what... That's what <em>that </em>was for." She gestured vaguely at Maki's chest, likely referring to her low-cut top. Embarrassed, Maki nodded shyly. "I'm... I'm surprised at you, Maki. Your grades in the class are very good. I would never expect you wanted to... t-to..." Her blush darkened as she took a deep breath. "... to have <em>sex </em>with me to improve your grades."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Wh-What? No! That's not it at all!" Maki's cheeks bloomed into a brilliant shade of red. There was enough heat flowing there to give her a sunburn. "I'm not trying to-" She stopped herself: even though they were alone in the classroom, she would rather not shout out what they were actually talking about. There was a chance someone could be walking right outside the door, and they might get the wrong idea. Worse, they might get the <em>right </em>idea. "I'm not trying to improve my grades."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Then there must be something I'm not understanding. Did I misinterpret what you're trying to do?" Instead of blushing, Professor Sonoda's face began to pale at the thought that she had believed ill of her top student. "I apologize, Maki. I did not mean to accuse you of anything improper like that. It just seemed..." She frowned, then shook her head and bowed slightly. "No, there is no excuse for believing such without explicit evidence. I am very sorry."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I-It's okay, Professor Sonoda." She had an out now. Professor Sonoda believed she had mistaken her intentions. She had only been wrong about the <em>reason</em>, though: she had been absolutely correct about what she was trying to do. "I, uhm..." She could leave now with part of her dignity intact, but then she'd never feel confident enough to take another shot. Wasn't this what she wanted? Wasn't this what she and Nozomi had been talking about for days? "I <em>do </em>want to... uhm, have sex with you, Professor. Not because I want to improve my grades, though." Her voice was quiet, almost as if she was trying to force it out of herself.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I see." Her body language changed again. She straightened up, staring down at Maki with a closed-off expression. Seeing that made Maki start to panic more, her palms sweaty and shaking. She grabbed onto the desk to try and keep them from being too noticeable.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"W-Wait! I like you a lot, Professor. You're wonderful, and I... I've been attracted to you since I first laid eyes on you." It felt as if she had to keep talking, or otherwise Professor Sonoda would walk away to report her for trying to seduce a staff member. However, by letting herself talk non-stop, she opened the floodgates and let herself say more than she probably should have. "I've been trying to get you to notice me for the last three classes, but you never did, and I just... I <em>really </em>want to spend time with you. You make me feel things that no one else has ever made me feel before... This isn't about my grades, I swear." She tacked on that last part to further hammer home the point that this wasn't some porno come to life where the struggling student would do 'anything' to make the grade.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki, I must say that I'm surprised. I never expected to hear you were considering breaking one of the biggest university rules." With each word being said, Maki could feel her confidence shattering into many little pieces. "Normally, I would be forced to report such an indiscretion to the board, and they would decide your fate at this university." Now Maki was sinking down in her seat, tears forming in her eyes. She had been right to worry: she was going to get expelled, and she hadn't even lost her virginity as recompense. "However, in this instance, I feel that may be counterproductive."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You... You do?" Maki sat up, wiping away her oncoming tears as she stared at her professor in confusion. She didn't understand what she meant by 'counterproductive,' but anything that would save her academic career in that moment would be a godsend.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"While I'm still... <em>surprised</em> by this, you're still my top student. Having your education thrown away because of one mistake feels wasteful." She gave Maki a reassuring smile, though this time it wasn't reciprocated. "As long as you understand why I can't say yes to your request, I believe we can brush this under the rug and forget that it happened. Are you alright with that, Maki?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Y-Yes. Thank you for the second chance, Professor Sonoda. I apologize for putting you into this situation." She had to pretend that she was fine. Hopefully, on the outside, she looked fine. On the inside, however, she had completely fallen apart. All that effort she had gone to had been for naught. At least she wasn't going to get expelled, so she could hang her hat on that silver lining. Still, she had just been told that under no circumstances would her crush even entertain the thought of the two of them having sex. As sensible as the logical side of her brain tried to tell her that was, she still felt sad about it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It's quite alright, Maki. I'll see you at our next lesson, alright?" With a nod, Maki grabbed her bag and hurried out of the classroom. She felt absolutely miserable inside. Though she was grateful that she hadn't been kicked out of school before her first <em>semester </em>had ended, that didn't change the fact that she had failed. She had wanted to do Professor Sonoda so badly, and she still did. That didn't matter, though. She had been turned down, and that was final. There was nothing she could do to change that.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Walking down the hall, she noticed a couple of guys trying to pretend like they weren't staring at her cleavage. She walked faster so they wouldn't see her start to cry.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Karaoke Hero</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After being rejected by her crush, Maki tries to distract herself by going out for karaoke with Nozomi. It's hard to forget about Professor Sonoda when she keeps coming up in conversation, though...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I'm sorry, Maki." As usual, whenever something went wrong in her life, Maki turned to Nozomi. She was sitting on Nozomi's bed, wiping at her eyes to try and stop crying. It was embarrassing to cry in front of Nozomi, but considering how much of her life she had gone through with her, she was the person Maki felt <em>most </em>comfortable baring her true feelings in front of. "At least you didn't get expelled."</p><p></p><div>
  <p>"Yeah..." She sighed deeply, her tears finally abating. Now that she wasn't able to cry anymore, she felt an unending pit of emptiness deep within her stomach. It actually felt <em>worse </em>than letting her emotions out. What a concept. "I thought I did everything right, though. Ugh, but I didn't know what to say when the time came..." She hid her face in her hands, feeling completely wretched. "All those people got to stare at my breasts, and I didn't even get laid..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Sometimes you just can't stop people from staring at your tits. Mine get stared at all the time." Maki rolled her eyes behind her hands. If that was Nozomi's way of trying to cheer her up, she was doing a pretty poor job of it. "It's kind of a badge of honor, seeing how many people on campus I can get to trip over cracks in the sidewalk or run into trees... Ah, but that's neither here nor there, I suppose."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Maki just sighed, not having much desire to answer anymore. She laid her head on Nozomi's shoulder, leaning into her arm and closing her eyes. However, her mind was now conjuring up thoughts of what had happened. She could see Professor Sonoda standing at the side of the bed, apologizing but firmly stating that she wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship like that. It made her keep her eyes open, to avoid letting her imagination go down those rabbit holes.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Thanks for helping me pick out those outfits, Nozomi, but I'm not going to wear the shirts anymore. You might like having everyone on campus staring at you, but it makes me feel uncomfortable." She kept wanting to close her eyes, just to escape the sad reality she had found herself living in, but doing that would just make her imagination fill in the blanks. It couldn't be trusted right now. "Sorry for wasting your time."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Hey, it was <em>not</em> a waste of time." She nudged Maki back into a sitting position, turning her head so she could look at her properly. "I enjoy spending time with you, Maki. I only picked out those shirts for you to try and get with Umi. It doesn't matter to me whether or not you actually wear them. I just had fun going there with you in general. It's not often I get to take you clothes shopping, after all."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I suppose so." She smiled slightly, lying down on the bed. Nozomi laid down next to her, their legs dangling off the side together. "Thanks Nozomi. I think I would have had a full-on anxiety attack if you weren't here." As much as Nozomi could drive her up the wall, she had really come to rely on her best friend. There were times when she felt her emotions were going to drown her, but somehow, Nozomi could always bring her back from the brink of death.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"That's what I'm here for." Smiling, Nozomi gently ran her fingers through Maki's hair. "Hey, why don't you come join Eli and I for karaoke tonight? It might take your mind off of Umi."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I don't know, Nozomi. You know I don't like to sing in public." She actually had a bit of musical talent. She'd been playing the piano since she was a little kid, and she'd ended up being good enough to participate in competitions during middle school and high school. Whenever she found a little time to herself, she liked to go to the music room and play a couple songs by herself. She also had what she would consider an acceptable singing voice, and she would often sing a few off-the-cuff lyrics while playing the piano. However, that was all on her own terms, and by herself, unless Nozomi decided to barge in. She could play the piano in front of an audience, as she had plenty of experience with that. Singing, though? For whatever reason, that specifically felt uncomfortable.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It's no problem! We've got a private room!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Somehow, I get the feeling you were going to use that room to have sex." Maki stared blankly at Nozomi, then sighed deeply. "Wouldn't I just be interrupting your date? I don't feel like being a third wheel."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"C'mon Maki, you know me better than that. I'd never relegate you to third wheel status. Look, maybe I <em>was </em>going to seduce Elicchi in that karaoke room, but that was before I heard about what happened. You're more important to me than sex, you know that, right?" That was pretty hard to believe, and yet, she said it with such conviction that Maki felt little choice <em>but </em>to believe her. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Alright, alright, I'll go." She rolled her eyes, as if she was going against her will. That was how she usually acted about being cajoled into doing things with Nozomi. Truthfully, though, she liked doing things with her. It made her feel wanted to have a friend who invited her to places, even if she didn't necessarily want to do them. Plus, she definitely needed something, <em>anything</em>, to stop thinking about being rejected. "No meme songs, though. I'm not singing Promise, and I can promise you that."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Wow, what a buzzkill," Nozomi teased, poking her cheek. "What about Simple and Clean?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Uh, no?" Maki rolled her eyes, poking Nozomi's cheek in return. "I don't sing weeb songs, and you should know better than to suggest that to me."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Uh huh... Says the girl who plays Call of Duty all the time."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Call of Duty is for actual gamers, nerd."</p>
</div><div>
  <hr/>
</div><div>
  <p>The sun had just set when Maki and Nozomi reached the karaoke club. Nozomi gave her number to the check-in woman, who smiled and showed them to their room. When they entered, there was already someone waiting for them. Professor Eli Ayase, a professor of Russian language at the university, gave the two of them a smile and a wave when they entered.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Evening, Nozomi." With a graceful air about her, she walked over and gave Nozomi a quick smooch once the doors had closed. Maki had to admit that Nozomi had made quite a catch. Professor Ayase was gorgeous, with long blonde hair tied in a side ponytail and a business casual blouse, jacket, and skirt that accentuated her features quite incredibly. From what she'd heard from Nozomi, she was a year or so older than Professor Sonoda, but in this setting, she could have easily passed for her early or mid twenties.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Evening, <em>Professor</em>." Nozomi used her title cheekily, snatching another smooch from her older girlfriend. The way the two of them carried themselves around each other, it felt like they wanted to do a lot more than just a couple of quick kisses. Immediately, Maki felt exactly as she had expected to feel: like a third wheel. It seemed like Nozomi could sense this as well, as she quickly wrapped an arm around Maki's shoulders and pulled her over. "Elicchi, this is my best friend, Maki!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Nice to finally meet you, Maki." She stuck her hand out, which Maki took in hers. "I've heard so much about you." Maki considered saying that she had only just found out the two of them were in a relationship, but it didn't seem prudent. "I'll admit I was... <em>surprised </em>when Nozomi told me that she had filled you in about our relationship." She shot a pointed look at Nozomi, who did her best to look innocent. "But she trusts you, so I hope that I can also trust you to keep our relationship a secret."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I won't tell anyway. Besides, I'm kind of in the same boat." She laughed awkwardly, then fell into an uncomfortable silence. It certainly hadn't taken long for her to remember what she had been trying to forget. While Nozomi was there on a date with the hot professor that she'd been fucking for two years, she was third-wheeling it alone after being flat-out rejected by her own older crush. What a letdown.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yes, I heard that you were rejected by Umi. A shame, really. Umi could really use a cute student to help her let her hair down every once in awhile." Nozomi left the two of them together as she went to the karaoke machine to pick a song.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You know Professor Sonoda?" It shouldn't have been that surprising. She figured that it would make sense for some of the professors to know each other, whether it was just within the walls of the university or even extending to an outside friendship. Then again, the two of them taught very different classes, so it didn't seem like their paths would cross that often.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Mhm. I actually met her in high school." She took a seat, laughing at some kind of memory while Nozomi was perusing the tracks they had. "She's pretty much the same as she was back then, though she's definitely mellowed out more. She was such a stick in the mud when we were students. Nozomi told me you're into those kinds of women, though."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Oh yeah. She <em>is</em> one of those kinds of women," Nozomi added, grinning as Maki stuck her tongue out at her. "When we were in elementary school, she cried because I was late for class once and she thought I was going to get expelled."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"That did <em>not </em>happen! Shut up, Nozomi!" Maki went bright red as Nozomi laughed at her. Even Professor Ayase was hiding a smile behind her hand. She had <em>not </em>come there to be embarrassed like this. "Just pick a damn song already."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Alright, alright." Laughing, Nozomi finally chose a song, stepping properly onto the stage and grabbing the microphone. Thoroughly embarrassed, Maki took a seat next to Eli, running a stressed hand through her hair as she listened to Nozomi sing a spacey, ethereal song she'd never heard before. That was a pretty typical occurrence, though: Nozomi loved listening to out-there spiritual songs that almost seemed too trippy to believe. It was surprising that anything close to that would be in the machine.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You didn't hear it from me, but I think you would be good for Umi." Maki was surprised to hear Professor Ayase talking to her as Nozomi sang and pranced around on stage. She turned to look at her, eyes wide. "She pushes herself so hard to be the best teacher, and that's not a bad thing, don't get me wrong. It's just that she never really takes time for herself. Even someone as smart as her could use some time off, and I think a fling with a young thing will do her good. It keeps <em>me</em> pretty stress-free."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yeah, maybe..." She wasn't sure she liked being called a 'fling': it sounded dirty and ephemeral. However, she couldn't deny that she wanted what Professor Ayase was talking about. If only there was a way to get Professor Sonoda to take that time for herself. Well, herself and maybe Maki as well. What was the point in thinking about that, though? She had already been turned down in no uncertain terms. Asking again would only get her in more trouble. "She already let me know pretty clearly how she felt."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Ah, that's just how she is. Nozomi told me she let you off the hook. That's a good sign." It was, but that didn't mean they would be boning any time soon. "Look, Umi isn't the most open person you'll ever meet. She keeps her emotions very close to her chest. Honestly, I never told her I was dating Nozomi because I was worried about how she would react. Having heard her reaction to you, however, makes me feel that it wouldn't be <em>too </em>bad to let her know the truth. If it comes up, anyway."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well if it does, put in a good word for me," Maki responded dryly. She wasn't exactly going to start grinning from ear to ear that she'd potentially made Professor Ayase feel relieved about telling Professor Sonoda about her illicit relationship. Maybe that was selfish of her, but she'd agreed to go to karaoke to get her mind off of her professor. So far, they'd talked about nothing <em>but </em>her. Though what Professor Ayase had said made her feel like she could've had more of a chance, she couldn't stop thinking about what Professor Sonoda had said to her. It was all brushed under the rug. They would never mention it again. That was that.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Elicchiii!" Nozomi, having finished her song, jumped off the stage and rushed the two of them, hopping onto her lover's lap. Professor Ayase grunted in surprise, but quickly recovered. She laughed as she hugged Nozomi close to her, pecking her on the lips. "You should go up and sing something! Let Maki hear how incredible your singing voice is!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Okay, okay!" Laughing, Professor Ayase gently nudged Nozomi off her lap, standing up and letting Nozomi push her towards the stage. Then Nozomi plopped down in her seat, bumping hips with Maki as it was her girlfriend's turn to choose a song.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Elicchi's really got a great singing voice. You two should do a duet together!" Nozomi seemed really excited about the proposition, but Maki had to pass. She barely knew Professor Ayase, and it felt odd to stand up there and sing together with her. It felt weird in general to be in such a calming social setting with someone who was supposed to be in a different part of society from her. Though she had wanted to do that with Professor Sonoda...</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Nozomi hadn't been wrong, though: Professor Ayase had an incredible singing voice. It was good enough that Maki wouldn't have been surprised if she'd dabbled in doing it professionally. She had a way of captivating an entire room with just her voice, really getting into the song she had chosen. Maki was utterly floored by her voice. How could Nozomi think the two of them should have a duet when Professor Ayase easily outclassed her?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Alright, your turn, Maki!" Nozomi prodded her shoulder until she stood up, scowling as she passed by Professor Ayase on her way to the stage. She went over to the karaoke machine, busying herself with trying to find a song. Nervousness was starting to overtake her, thinking about singing in front of an audience. She tried to reason with herself that it was only two people, one of whom was her best friend, but she still couldn't get a grip on her nerves.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>When she finally found a song to sing, she picked it and turned around the face the music. Nozomi and Professor Ayase were sitting next to each other: Nozomi was giving her a thumbs up while Professor Ayase had a soft smile on her face. She looked around the room, trying to make herself understand that there were only two people in the room besides her. No one else was going to hear her, even if she <em>did </em>make a fool of herself. At least one of the two people there had already seen her make a fool of herself plenty of times, so what was once more? That thought in particular got her to open her mouth and begin to sing.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It didn't occur to her until she was about a third of the way through the song that she had chosen one about pining for an unobtainable woman. The irony was not lost on her, and considering the expressions on her audience's faces, it likely wasn't lost on them either. It gave her an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she pressed on. She wasn't a quitter, and she didn't want to bring more attention to how weird she had made the situation by stopping and asking to choose another song.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>When she finished, she tried to play it off as if it wasn't a big deal. She put the microphone down and tried to walk confidently back towards the sitting area. Whether or not she was actually pulling it off didn't matter. When she was in range, Nozomi grabbed her arms and yanked her down. With a surprised, undignified squeal, she fell onto Nozomi's lap, where she was immediately besieged by a tight hug.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Aww Maki, it's okay! You're always gonna have me!" She nuzzled Maki's cheek, making her squirm around in embarrassment. "I'll never reject you, and I'll always be here to help you too! If you feel that you're never going to get laid, I don't mind if Elicchi takes your virginity too." Her grin was too wide for her own good as she saw both her best friend and her girlfriend start blushing profusely.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Do you ever think of what you say before the words come out of your mouth?!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I-I don't remember agreeing to that..." Nozomi burst into giggles, hiding her face in Maki's chest as her entire body convulsed with laughter. Groaning with a blush all over her face, Maki shoved Nozomi off of her, getting out of her grasp and standing back up with her arms crossed. Sometimes Nozomi was just too much. <em>Often</em>, Nozomi was too much. How did Professor Ayase deal with <em>dating </em>her?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Somehow, despite all of that, Nozomi was still able to convince her to sing a song with both of them. "You know the words to Mahoutsukai Hajimemashita!, don'tcha Maki?" Nozomi didn't even wait for an answer as she picked the song. Both Maki and Professor Ayase stood by her, looking at each other with furtive glances and awkward smiles.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Unfortunately," Maki sighed, making a face at the thought of that song. It had been played on the radio constantly when she was in elementary school, and even at that age, she'd quickly grown tired of the high-pitched voice of 'super idol' Nico Yazawa. She had hoped to never hear that song again, but Nozomi had already chosen it and stepped to the microphone. It still baffled her that Nozomi unironically enjoyed that song as an adult.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Nozomi stood at the microphone, while Maki and Professor Ayase stood on either side of her. With only one microphone, they were forced to share, though Maki didn't mind if her voice didn't carry like it usually did. She was not a fan of the song, and she was not happy to realize that every word came back to her naturally. There was a part of her brain that could've been used to store important information, but it was being taken up by those lyrics. What a waste.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She had to admit, though, their voices really complimented each other. Nozomi's higher-pitched voice - thankfully, not as high-pitched as Nico's - paired well with Professor Ayase's more sultry singing, and Maki at least didn't feel out of place singing with them. Halfway through the song, she was thinking more about what lyrics came next than her current predicament. She supposed she ought to thank Nozomi for that, maybe.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They stayed there longer than Maki expected. Once they finished that particular song, Professor Ayase suggested another song for them to sing. She and Nozomi went with it, and soon she had lost track of time. It was actually fun letting herself loosen up, if only for just a little bit. She'd allow Nozomi to pull her to the microphone, and the two of them would sing a duet from their childhood. Professor Ayase stood to the side and cheered them on, looking much more relaxed than Maki ever expected a teacher to be.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Gods, I haven't heard that song in so long!" Nozomi laughed as she flopped down on the couch, barely leaving room for Maki to sit at her feet. Professor Ayase stood next to them, checking something on her phone. "Isn't it weird how music we used to hate sounds much better nowadays?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I guess so." Maki shrugged, trying to push Nozomi's legs off the couch so she could sit more comfortably. "I'm sure there's some reason for that." Suddenly, Nozomi sat up straight, staring at her. "What? What's with that look?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You have a minor in music theory, Maki. If anyone should know about why that is, it's you."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I know <em>classical</em> music, not modern music. I have no interest in studying the drudge that is modern pop music. No thank you." Music had definitely declined since the eighteenth century. Uncultured swines didn't want to hear the greatest composers on the radio, and it was just sad. If only she could find a classical station...</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki's a music snob, I'm afraid." Nozomi sighed, shaking her head sadly in Professor Ayase's direction. "Unfortunately, it's incurable." Maki rolled her eyes, slapping Nozomi across the shoulder. That got her to giggle, and she draped her arms over Maki's body. "Wanna order food? I'm hungry now! We need some meat in here!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I guess, but I'm not paying for it."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Aww..." Nozomi pulled away from Maki, throwing herself at Professor Ayase. "Elicchiii-"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"This is the last time, alright?" Professor Ayase seemed to be putting her foot down, but... Maki could imagine the sound of a cracking whip in her head.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Putting in a Good Word</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Umi and Eli talk about something serious over some grilled meat.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>"So, you wanted to talk about something?" Umi had gotten a call from Eli, asking if they could talk over a nice grilled dinner. That seemed fine to her, so she had invited Eli over that weekend, and the two of them were outside grilling some steaks and takoyaki. Eli had brought over the trademark vodka she loved to hold onto, like she didn't want to bust Russian stereotypes. She could have it all to herself, since Umi didn't drink anything quite that hard. Of course, Eli was more than happy to.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Sure did. It's about one of your students. Maki, isn't it?" Umi nearly dropped her spatula onto the grill. She whirled around, facing Eli with wide eyes. She could see Eli staring back at her with a knowing smile on her face, which made her feel an increasing sense of dread. How could Eli possibly know about Maki propositioning her? Nobody knew about it except for her and Maki, and she couldn't imagine Maki spilling the beans.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Uhm, yes, Miss Nishikino. What about her?" She felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead, like she was way too close to the grill. "Is she in trouble?" Maybe this was all just a coincidence. Could it be that Maki was taking Russian? It didn't seem likely, but she didn't know everything about her students.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well, I hear that you rejected her advances." This time, Umi <em>did </em>drop the spatula. Thankfully, it was just on the grass. She hurriedly bent over to pick it up, brushing stray blades of grass off using her shirt. All the while, her face bloomed to a brilliant shade of red. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I don't like what you're implying-"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Don't bother denying it. I already heard it from Maki's best friend." The spatula was close to falling to the ground again, as Umi was sure she would pass out. So Maki had told her best friend, who told Eli? That didn't make any sense! "Look, it's not a big deal, Umi. I know that Maki asked you for sex and you turned her down."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"That's... That's right. I don't know what compelled Maki's friend to tell you this, but don't forget that I specifically turned her down. A relationship between a student and their teacher is inappropriate, not to mention against the rules." She crossed her arms, frowning at Eli. "If you know that I turned her down, then I don't understand why you wanted to have a conversation about this in the first place." She could only hope that Eli wasn't trying to get Maki expelled. After telling her star student that it was all water under the bridge, having another professor get her kicked out of university would make her, technically, a liar.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Because I think you made a mistake." Umi blinked, her arms falling slack at her sides. A... mistake? Turning Maki down was a mistake? That made even <em>less </em>sense than anything else about this conversation.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You... think I made a mistake?" Eli nodded, confirming that she hadn't been hearing things. "I don't understand..." She shook her head, as if that would clear it and make anything about this conversation sensible. "Just... Can you start at the beginning, before I get a headache?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yeah yeah, come sit down, you dork." Rolling her eyes, Umi went and sat down next to Eli, running a hand through her hair. She felt ridiculously tense, and it could be spotted a mile away. "Look, I'm going to admit something to you, and I want you to keep cool, alright?" Umi nodded slowly, hesitant to believe she would be able to keep her cool when Eli was asking her to. Eli took a deep breath, grabbing her bottle of vodka and downing some liquid courage. "I'm in a relationship with one of my students."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You're fucking <em>what?!</em>" Yup, she had been right. How was she supposed to keep her cool upon hearing information like that? "I-I can't believe this! You... You?!" Eli gave her a sheepish smile, which did nothing to calm her down. Her closest confidant in the entire school was having an illicit affair with one of her students. This was unbelievable! "This is unbelievable!" See?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Calm down, Umi." Easier said than done... "Look, here's the thing. This girl really gets me, alright? She's witty, fast on her feet, and she's so fucking <em>hot</em>." Of course she was. Umi sighed, running a hand down her face. "And as it turns out, she's best friends with Maki, who told her about being rejected by you. She's really upset about it, you know?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"She is?" Umi frowned deeply. She hadn't meant to upset Maki, but it had been the right decision. It was better for her to reject her then than to potentially lead her on until it finally came time to drop the hammer down. "That wasn't my intention, but I know I made the correct call. We would both get in trouble should we be caught. Just like <em>you </em>and <em>your </em>student will be," she added, jabbing her finger against Eli's chest. "I would strongly suggest you tell her that the two of you need to stop this instant."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Okay, well I would strongly suggest that you take Maki up on her offer." That made Umi's jaw drop. How could Eli even suggest such a thing?! "You work yourself to the bone for this school, Umi. Don't you think you deserve to have at least a little fun?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I can have fun off the clock," Umi retorted, crossing her arms again. "And <em>not </em>with a student." Truth be told, she hadn't had any 'off the clock fun' for quite some time. Finding a romantic partner just wasn't something she was looking for. It was more important for her to get her lesson plans in check than strip down for some random date. "And I know better than anyone that <em>you </em>can as well. Why would you even choose a student out of all the people in the world, Eli? You're putting me in quite the predicament here."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yeah, that was why I didn't tell you until now." Sighing, Eli took another swig of vodka, throwing an arm over Umi's shoulders. "Look, you've got me worried that you're going to end up with ulcers or something due to how hard you're working. If you're going to be <em>this </em>committed to your job, you at least deserve a nice fling with a pretty young thing, don't you think?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You have no idea how strongly my answer is no." She really could not believe that Eli was acting this way. Her best friend, having sex with the best friend of the student who was trying to have sex with her. It was poetic in an unfortunate way. "Besides, unlike you, I'm not looking for a fling. I don't need sex every day of my life."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You never know what you might find. I went into this expecting just a fling, and I've found an honest-to-goodness girlfriend." Umi stared blankly at her. A girlfriend? She considered her student lover a girlfriend? Why was Eli like this? "Besides, we've been doing this for about two years and haven't been caught one. You never know what you might find with Maki."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"A new job, more than likely," Umi responded dryly. "I don't understand why you're trying to coerce me into having sex with my student. I told her no, and I told <em>you </em>no as well. Why won't you let it rest?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Because I love you, Umi. You're my friend, and I know you're working yourself to the bone. Really, this grilling dinner is the first time we've hung out outside of the teacher's lounge in weeks. Don't think I'm just going to let you focus on nothing but your lesson plan." She took another swig of vodka, then offered it to Umi, who naturally refused. "Besides, I think Maki's the perfect girl for you. She checks off every box you could want."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Oh? What 'boxes', exactly?" Wait, why was she even asking that? She should've been saying something along the lines of, 'Don't care. This is still wrong.' It <em>was </em>still wrong! Ugh...</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well, first off, she's gorgeous. I mean, she looks like a model masquerading as a university student." Umi frowned, but she couldn't deny that. Regardless of how she felt about being in a relationship, Maki <em>was </em>very pretty. "She's smart as all hell, and I know how much you like having intelligent conversations with your partners. Also, she can be a shy, awkward mess. I've only met her once and I can already see that. She's just like you were at that age!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"No comment," Umi muttered, looking away in embarrassment.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"She's also a great singer. Her voice is really nice: she can belt one out with the best of 'em. If the two of you did a duet, every girl within a mile would cream their panties instantly." Oh, how eloquent her friend was. "I'm serious, though. She really does like you. I could tell how down she was all night that you had rejected her. Now, I'm sure she understands why, but from what my girlfriend told me, she's had a crush on you since the first class she had with you."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Really?" Now <em>that </em>was news to Umi. She hadn't known that Maki had liked her for <em>that </em>long. That was... well, she wasn't sure <em>how </em>to feel about that. "Yes, she does sound like the kind of girl I would be interested in. I can admit that. Still, that doesn't mean I'm going to change my decision. She's still my student, and it isn't right to be in a relationship with her."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Why?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Why- What do you <em>mean </em>why?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Why is it wrong to be in a relationship with her?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I can't believe you're asking that." Eli <em>had </em>to know exactly why it was wrong. There was no way she was that naive. "She's my student, so I hold power over her that she can't ever equal. It's against the rules of the job we <em>both </em>work at. Someday, she'll regret getting into a relationship with me because of our age difference. I'll be an old woman and she'll still be relatively spry. It's just not something that would work."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You're saying that without even giving her a chance. With that attitude, you'll never know if maybe she's someone you would really enjoy getting to know." Eli stood up, taking the spatula from Umi's hands and heading to tend the grill. That left Umi sitting there alone to stew with her swirling, confused thoughts. "If I hadn't taken a chance with my girlfriend, I would have never realized how perfect she is for me. She makes me happier than I ever thought I could be. It hasn't mattered how old she is, or the fact that she's my student. There's a connection between us that's just drawn us closer."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"But..." Umi stared down at her feet, frowning. She didn't like that she was at least considering what Eli had to say. This was the kind of thing she was supposed to dismiss outright, and she <em>had </em>been doing so. Their entire conversation had been her telling Eli point by repetitious point why she couldn't accept Maki's advances. At the same time, her traitorous brain was starting to wonder whether she was right to be so dismissive. Maki <em>did </em>seem like someone she could get along with, and she had been crushing on her from the beginning... "But it's wrong..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It feels so right, though," Eli responded cheekily, tending to the grill. "Just consider it, alright? I told Maki I'd put in a good word for her, and she really does seem like a good girl. I bet that if you two spent some time together, you'd realize that you two really do have a lot in common. Then you'd feel better about going to bed with her, if you know what I mean."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I know all too well what you mean." Umi shook her head, lapsing into silence. There was too much to think about for her to keep up the conversation. Eli thankfully left it at that, and the two of them eventually sat down with some good meat on their plates and ate dinner together. Further conversations involved different, more innocent subjects, but it was hard for her to concentrate when she shamefully had Maki stuck in her mind.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She thought about the pretty student in the front row, staring at her with a purpose she only now understood. Maki really had a crush on her, for all of this time? Eli really thought the two of them would hit it off well, and that they'd end up having sex. She shook her head, trying to snap herself out of it. Just because Maki had wanted to have sex with her for all this time didn't mean she should give in. So what? It still wasn't right. It was still against the rules. Why couldn't anyone understand that? Was she the only one who cared about the rules?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Taking a bite of her steak, she couldn't taste the same goodness that she usually could. It was as if her tastebuds were numbed, just like the rest of her body. Did Eli really think this was okay? She hadn't steered her wrong all the time, but... Ugh, she shouldn't even be entertaining any of those thoughts! What was wrong with her?! Those were the kinds of thoughts that should never even enter her mind: not even as a hypothetical.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Unfortunately for her, they had.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Here Comes the Rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A sudden rainstorm keeps Maki trapped within the school, having not brought an umbrella with her to class. A savior comes from an unexpected but much desired place.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>Karaoke night had honestly been good for her. Spending enough time there had helped her take her mind off of Professor Sonoda, at least for one night. By the end of that night, she had been eating and laughing with Nozomi and Professor Ayase, even getting a few jabs in at Nozomi to get her back for any embarrassing stories told about her. It had been quite awhile since she'd felt that sociable.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Alas, it couldn't last forever. Eventually, she had to return to her literature class, where she would have to face Professor Sonoda for the first time since outright asking her for sex. The thought of having to look her in the eye and act like nothing had happened made her seriously consider faking ill. That showed how serious things were, as she had never missed a class in her entire schooling history.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>In the end, she went as she always did. The thought of missing even one class made her just as nervous as what might be awaiting for her should she show up. So she went as she always did, wearing a button-up shirt and jeans that felt more comfortable for her. No more cleavage for all her classmates to ogle: if Professor Sonoda wasn't interested, then nobody got to see it. Those were the rules.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>True to Professor Sonoda's word, the conversation they had last time was not mentioned. If it was still in her mind, she didn't show it. She still taught the class as she always did: with a loving but stern focus. Between her usual way of concentrating on every student equally, and the lack of cleavage for her fellow students to stare at, Maki was practically ignored for the entire class. She wasn't exactly sure how she felt about that.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Week after week, class after class, everything continued as if nothing had happened. She should have been thankful that her attempt to proposition her professor for sex was lost to the annals of time. It allowed her to keep at least some of her dignity, along with her academic eligibility. Of course, she apparently couldn't be satisfied with everything being back to the way it was. She had to feel sad whenever she sat in that classroom, knowing that her crush could not, or <em>would not </em>reciprocate her feelings. Every time she looked at her professor, and she didn't look back, she felt like crying right in the middle of class.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>In the end, she just had to accept that she wasn't going to get what she wanted. What she wanted was unrealistic, and it was unfair to both parties. Even Nozomi, the most optimistic person Maki knew, had stopped trying to convince her that there was still a chance. As much as it hurt, she had to admit that if she was ever going to be in a relationship, it wasn't going to be with Professor Sonoda.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>That didn't stop her from continuing to have thoughts she shouldn't have. The fantasizes that had run rampant in her mind still claimed territory there, and she would often lie in bed and masturbate to the thought of what she wanted Professor Sonoda to do to her. She would cum hard, then remember that her fantasies would never come true, and she would start to cry. She had never felt so dirty and low in her entire life.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It was too much for her to keep inside, so she found herself talking with Nozomi fairly often. Either on the phone or on her couch, she would spill her dirty secrets to the only person she could trust. She wouldn't get too specific, as Nozomi didn't need to know about her masturbation habits or the thoughts that came with it, but she <em>was </em>forced to admit that she did such things, and that it made her feel like a terrible person.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>To Nozomi's immense credit, she cut the teasing down to a minimum while Maki was regaling her with such pathetic tales. She would sit there and let Maki lay her head in her lap, stroking her hair and listening to everything she had to say. Sometimes, especially when it came to the whole masturbating thing, she couldn't help but say a couple teasing things, but mostly she remained serious. She'd calm Maki down as best she could, giving her advice when warranted and just holding her protectively the rest of the time. Though it often remained unsaid, she was extremely grateful to have Nozomi there in those trying times.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Another month passed, and going to class didn't get any easier. She tried her to best to block out the noise inside her mind, but it was like trying to stop the rain with a colander. Having to see Professor Sonoda every day, knowing that she was going to <em>always </em>lust after her with no positive resolution was killing her. She was at least able to continue doing her work to the best of her abilities. If she couldn't be her teacher's fuckbuddy, she could at least still be her teacher's pet.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>After another day of trying not to get lost in sad thoughts about the woman she could never have, Maki had her bag slung over her shoulder as she headed for the front doors. She had finished her last class, and it was time to walk home, where she would likely take off her pants, masturbate like the sad pervert she was, then cry to Nozomi. Was it even fair to keep bothering Nozomi with this stuff? She wasn't being paid to be her personal therapist. Not yet, anyway.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>As she was heading down the stairs, she could hear what sounded like something happening outside. Frowning slightly, she kept going down, turning to the glass doors when she reached the bottom step. Her frown deepened sharply when she saw rain pouring outside. The weather had been fine for most of the day: a bit overcast, but no hint that it was going to rain. Now it was <em>pouring</em>, and she didn't have an umbrella on her person.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>For about a minute, she just stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching the rain fall as if she could make it zip back up into the sky with her mind. Of course, the rain didn't care about her plight: it continued to fall unimpeded. A couple of students walked past her, heading outside and opening up their umbrellas. It was as if they were deliberately teasing her for not having brought one. How did they even know it was going to rain? It had been perfectly fine earlier!</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She sat down on the bench next to one of the auditorium classrooms, setting down her bag between her legs and waiting for the rain to stop. As much as she'd love getting soaked to the bone the moment she stepped outside, she wasn't about to risk catching a cold. With no idea how long it would take for the rain to stop, she was there for the long haul.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Over the course of twenty minutes, a bunch of students passed by her, heading outside under the safety of their umbrellas. Even those students without umbrellas just made a run for it, leaving her alone in the hallway. It was that time of the day where most classes were done, but it wasn't late enough for the night classes to begin. For at least an hour, there likely wouldn't be a soul showing up to let her know she hadn't been transported to some empty dimension.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki?" She had not expected to hear her name being called. Turning to the sound, her jaw dropped when she saw who it was. Professor Sonoda was walking her way, eyes glancing between her and the rain outside. "Do you not have an umbrella?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I didn't realize it was going to rain today." It felt rude not to make eye contact with Professor Sonoda when she was talking to her, but doing so just made all her feelings slam right back into her brain and her heart. Watching her gorgeous professor walk towards her with incredible grace in three inch heels made her heart beat in strange, concerning patterns. Now she just couldn't take her eyes off her in general.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yes, it does seem that the weather changed quite suddenly." It was then that Maki noticed the umbrella in Professor Sonoda's hand. "The weather report said there was only a twenty percent chance of rain, but I always have an umbrella in my office just in case." That wasn't surprising. Leave it to her professor to always be prepared for any situation. A lot more prepared than she was... In more ways than one, actually.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well, since I have to walk back to my dorm, I'm just going to stay here until the rain stops." Her shoulders sagged as she forced herself to look away from Professor Sonoda. Instead, she looked outside, watching the rain coming down. It was calming, in a way: the sight, the sound. A none-too-pleasant thought surfaced in her mind, trying to tell her that she should proposition her professor again. She narrowed her eyes and stared outside with more determination, refusing to entertain that thought. There were no second chances: expulsion would hit her should she be stupid enough to try and bring up what had been swept under the rug again.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well..." The slight hesitation in Professor Sonoda's voice was enough to catch Maki's attention. She turned to her professor, surprised to find her looking slightly awkward. It was hard to tell, but she could definitely tell that something was up. What was it, though? "If you don't want to wait for the rain to stop, you can always walk with me under my umbrella. It should be big enough for the both of us."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Maki had to take a moment to let that sink in. Professor Sonoda was suggesting they share an umbrella? After what they had talked about last month, hadn't she wanted to be more careful? No, no... This wasn't anything more than a professor being kind to one of their students. It didn't have anything to do with a potential connection between the two. Maki was ashamed of herself for even thinking that way about her professor, as much as she wanted it to be true.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Thank you, Professor. I would appreciate that, but I don't want you to have to go out of your way just to take me home." She had to fight down a blush, not having meant for her sentence to be as sexual-sounding as it did. It probably only sounded that way in her head, though. Nozomi's head too, more than likely.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It's not problem at all. We can take my car. I'm happy to help a student in need." She smiled so genuinely, clearly having not heard anything untoward in Maki's sentence. That was a relief, as she really hadn't meant for it to be taken in such a way. Gods, but having Professor Sonoda being so lovely to her just made her fall that much harder for her. Being in the same car might actually kill her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Still, she couldn't say no to the offer. Not only because she wasn't interested in staying in the building for however long it took for the rain to stop: not when there was Call of Duty to play at home. There was also nothing her self-control could do that would have her saying that she'd rather wait then spend any amount of time near her professor. Better still, it would be just the two of them walking across campus together. They'd walk to the parking lot in the pouring rain, huddled under Professor Sonoda's umbrella for shelter. Depending on how big it was, they might have to get <em>really </em>close.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Okay, so it was either better still or <em>worse </em>yet, depending on how one looked at it. The two of them walked outside, the awning just beyond the doors the last structure protecting them from the rain. Professor Sonoda opened her umbrella, lifting it over their heads. It <em>was </em>pretty big, allowing both of them to gain cover as long as they stood close to each other. With a light blush on her face, Maki held her bag against her chest and scooted closer to her professor.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The rain slammed against Professor Sonoda's umbrella as the two of them walked towards the parking lot. The sidewalk they were on had already begun to accumulate water, Maki's shoes kicking up puddles. She hated the feeling of wet socks clinging to her ankles, but at least that was the only part of her that was really getting wet. Well... You know what? She wasn't going to say anything more about that.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>A few drops of rain splashed on her elbow as she walked, making her recoil in surprise. That recoil just happened to move her close enough that her body was suddenly touching Professor Sonoda's. Her eyes widened as she became all-too aware of the close contact. However, she decided to keep staring forward rather than looking over to see if her professor had noticed. She didn't want to know, because the embarrassment would be too much for her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well, here's my car." Professor Sonoda guided her over to the passenger's side, where she unlocked the car, opened the door, and held the umbrella overhead so Maki could get inside as dry as possible. Hopping inside, Maki put her bag down on her lap, grimacing at her wet shoes pressing against the floor. Hopefully it wouldn't leave too much of a mess.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Professor Sonoda closed the passenger door, then headed over to her side. Through the window, Maki could see her pause at her door for a moment. Then she put her umbrella down, flung open the door, and jumped into the car. She shut the door as fast as she could, putting her dripping umbrella into the backseat. Though she had only been without the protection of the umbrella for five seconds maximum, she had gotten decently wet.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki, do you think you can hand me the towel back there?" Looking in the back seat, Maki noticed a towel neatly folded on the middle seat. She reached back and grabbed it, handing it over to her professor. "Thank you." Wow, her professor really <em>was </em>prepared for everything. She was impressed.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She was <em>also </em>turned on, though for different reasons. Sitting in the passenger's seat, she watched with rapt attention as Professor Sonoda dried herself off. There was something so utterly graceful about how she dried off her hair. Even when she was done, it was still perfectly straight: not a hair out of place. It was as if she had smoothed it down after drying it, before she removed the towel. She then rubbed down her arms, smooth and gentle. She had such nice-looking skin. Maki wondered how it would taste, freshly kissed by the rain and dried with such a soft-looking towel.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>While Maki was having a weird little moment, Professor Sonoda finished drying herself off and put the towel on top of the umbrella. Then she buckled up her seatbelt and started the car. The hum of the engine reminded Maki that she needed to put her own seatbelt on. Trying to shake herself out of it, she buckled up and put her hands in her lap, biting down on her lip. She stared at the rain pummeling the windshield as Professor Sonoda began to drive out of the parking lot.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Her mind was racing on the short drive to her dorm. Maybe just how short the drive was had her thinking much faster than usual. For some reason, this felt like a good time to try something. She knew it would <em>never </em>be a good time, though. If she tried to hit on her professor again, she'd get her stupid ass expelled from university. It wasn't worth it, and she <em>knew </em>that it wasn't. She had told herself time and time again, and yet...</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Yet the car was now parked alongside the curb, next to the dorm's front office. The rain was coming down so hard, she could barely see the building out the window. She shuddered at the thought of going out there and immediately getting soaked to the bone. Worse than that, she couldn't stand knowing this was the best chance she'd ever have, and she wasn't going to take it. What would Nozomi do? ...What would Nozomi do with her clothes still on?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Professor Sonoda?" She looked away from the window, making eye contact with her professor. Professor Sonoda looked at her kindly, questioningly, not knowing what Maki was trying to do. "Uhm, I was wondering... I know you just drove me to my dorm, and I really appreciate it, but... do you think we can go back to your place?" Before her professor could raise any sensible questions, she continued hurriedly. "There's something in class I haven't been able to fully grasp, and I was hoping you could help me. Since we're both here and all."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I didn't realize there was something you weren't grasping. You seemed to be doing excellent at all facets of my class." She frowned for a moment, and Maki worried that her ruse would be uncovered immediately. Thankfully, she didn't seem to pry too deeply. "But, if there's anything I can help you with, I will be happy to assist." She put her car back in drive and started to pull away from the curb. "Besides, it would be unfortunate if you had to head back to your dorm in such weather, even with the closer distance."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Thank you, Professor Sonoda." Maki smiled a nervous smile, her hands shaking as she turned back to face the windshield. She hid her hands in her lap so her professor wouldn't ask why they were shaking. Watching raindrops scarring down the glass, she tried to mentally calm her raging heart. This was truly her going for broke. More than her original attempt, this was her putting all her cards on the table. If she succeeded, then all of her fantasies could come true. If she failed, well... there wouldn't be much of a future waiting for her. That was what scared her more than she could explain, but what was scarier was not having her crush any closer than they were right then.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"What part of the class are you not understanding?" Professor Sonoda's question caught her off guard, even though she was the one who had put forward the lie. If she was going to use that as an excuse to get into her house, she should at least have been better prepared to answer it. "I just want to make sure I can retrieve all the relevant texts for us to go over."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I... wanted to better understand the connections between literature in the Kamakura period and the way it pertains to modern Japan, if at all." It was the first thing that popped into her head, and she just hoped it was enough to throw off any suspicion. Once again, she seemed to be in the clear, as Professor Sonoda just nodded in understanding.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Ah, alright then. I know where I put my lesson plan for that period. I'm glad to see that you're questioning how certain eras of our country continue to influence the way it's run now." The genuine smile on her face made Maki feel guilty. It <em>was </em>interesting material, but truth be told, she didn't <em>really </em>think nearly millennia-old tomes about revenge killing had much to do with the modern day at all. She just needed an excuse to get into her house. Did that make her a bad person? Probably...</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They eventually reached Professor Sonoda's house. It was a small, unassuming place with a garage attached to its side, which was where she drove up and into. In the safety of the garage, they didn't need to worry about the rain anymore. Once the car came to a complete stop, and her professor shut it off, Maki opened the door and stumbled out into the garage. With the garage door closed, the warmth hit her like a truck. It was already making her start to sweat, and she wanted nothing more than to escape that heat.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Professor Sonoda got out of the car right after her, reaching into the backseat to pull out the umbrella. She left it leaning against the wall next to the door, which she opened and invited Maki inside. The heat was now forgotten: instead, her heart was racing, thinking about where she was about to go. She was going to enter her professor's house: a place she had a feeling no other student had seen. This was the most incredible moment of her life.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She entered the kitchen, which was white-tiled and spotless. There didn't seem to be a single item left out on the table or the counters. The only thing that seemed out of order was a pair of yellow rubber gloves that hung halfway off the sink. Maybe she had been doing dishes that morning and just left them there. She tried her best to not let her gaze linger anywhere too long, not wanting to accidentally offend her professor.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They both entered the living room, where they were temporarily separated. "Please excuse me, Maki. I'm going to change out of these wet clothes. Feel free to find somewhere comfortable, and I'll return with the proper coursework." Maki nodded, trying and failing to not think of her professor removing her clothes mere feet from her. The desire to secretly follow her was incredible, but she wasn't <em>that </em>far gone. Not yet, anyway. So she stayed put in the living room, standing around awkwardly while Professor Sonoda disappeared into the hallway.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Eventually she got her legs moving, and she went to sit down on the couch. Her bare feet scraped against the carpet as she squirmed about nervously: both her and Professor Sonoda had left their shoes and socks in the garage to dry. Unlike her own dorm, which was pale and empty-looking, Professor Sonoda's living room was nicer to look at. The furniture was all a deep, calming blue, while a television that was smaller than expected sat on a stand next to the closed curtains. She could assume that there was a great view of the backyard there, though the rain would be the majority of what she'd see.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Behind her was a long, burgundy bookshelf. The top rows were filled with, appropriately enough, books, but the bottom row had a shelf that further jutted out. There were framed photographs on that shelf, and Maki's curiosity was too much to bear. Standing up, she went over to take a look, hoping that Professor Sonoda didn't come back too quickly and catch her snooping.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The first photograph that she was drawn to was one of her and Professor Ayase. The two of them had arms locked over their shoulders, smiling at whoever was taking the picture. So the two of them really <em>did </em>know each other. They seemed to be good friends, at least as far as the picture was concerned. That just made her more surprised that Professor Ayase wouldn't be upset that a student wanted to get in bed with her friend.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Next to that photo was one of Professor Sonoda surrounded by what appeared to be her family. She was standing next to her mother, while another, taller woman with similarly-blue hair was standing next to her father. Did Professor Sonoda have a sister? She'd had no idea, but then again, she'd never asked. There had never been much of an opportunity to question about familial ties.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She turned away from the bookshelf and started heading back for the couch the moment Professor Sonoda returned from her room. Maki found herself stopped dead in her tracks, staring with wide eyes at her professor. She had always seen her in more formal attire: appropriate for her profession. However, now that she was in her own home, she had changed into a comfortable blue t-shirt with 'Otonokizaka National Kendo Champions 1994' written in pink, along with a pair of black shorts. She looked so comfortable, and so... so <em>hot</em>.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"My apologies for the more... <em>casual</em> outfit," she said with a sheepish smile, heading over to the couch with a folder of papers in her hand. "This is just an outfit I wear around the house during weather like this." She sat down on the couch, and Maki rushed over to join her. Sitting side by side, she knew her attention would only be half on the schoolwork at max. She was more focused on how sitting down made the legs of Professor Sonoda's shorts ride up, making her wish they would go up just a bit more.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>With the folder opened up on her lap, Professor Sonoda started to go over the work in question. She explained the period again, the most important pieces of literature from that era, and how it all came back to the present day. It was interesting stuff, really. In another situation, Maki might really be paying attention. However, the professor she found ungodly gorgeous was sitting next to her being both cute and hot some impossible how. Who could blame her for being a <em>little </em>distracted?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It felt necessary that, if she wanted to truly absorb the information being told to her, she needed to get a little closer. As subtly as she could, she scooted closer to her professor, keeping her eyes on the worksheets as an appropriate alibi. She moved until their shoulders bumped together, which gave Professor Sonoda's cadence a bit of a hitch. Maki didn't take her eyes off the papers, though, even though she wanted to so badly. She didn't want her professor to suspect anything yet.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>If she <em>did </em>suspect anything, she didn't <em>say </em>anything. She continued to explain the lesson, and Maki continued to act as if her full attention was on said lesson. Though she was staring at the papers, her mind was working overtime, trying to think of her next move. What could she do that wouldn't be super suspicious, but also let it be known that there was at least a chance something was going to go down? The lone idea that came to her brain was putting a hand on her leg.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Of course, the folder was covering her legs, so Maki had to wait until they were finished getting back up to speed with the material. Since she really <em>did </em>understand it for the most part, she could truthfully say that she understood it when she was asked. Smiling, Professor Sonoda stacked the papers back up properly, closing the manila folder and placing it on the couch's armrest. That finally gave Maki the chance to place a gentle hand on Professor Sonoda's thigh.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki?" Professor Sonoda looked at her with slightly wide eyes, glancing between her face and her hand. Though she was nervous, Maki refused to back down. She wanted to try again: she <em>had </em>to try again. This time, she wouldn't lose to her own nerves. If she was going to fail, then it wouldn't be because of her not laying it all on the table.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Professor Sonoda, I know what we agreed to do last month. This breaks that promise, and I'm sorry, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about you for a single day." She slid her hand further up Professor Sonoda's thigh, noticing a slight twitch in her expression. It was gone too quickly for her to truly know what it meant, though. "This isn't for my grades, I promise you. I work hard in your class because I really, <em>really </em>like you, and I want to see you proud of me more than anything."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I..." It didn't seem as if Professor Sonoda knew what to say. Gently rubbing her hand up and down, Maki kept waiting to be rebuked. She expected her to push her away, to reiterate what she had said last month, and to tell her that she had no choice but to speak to the school board about this. However, she didn't say oreven <em>do </em>anything. She continued to stare silently at Maki, as if trying to size her up: to determine just how to let her down again.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I know the risks we both would take doing this. It's something I've thought about so often for so many months. I was scared to even <em>try </em>broaching this subject with you, for fear of losing everything should you reject me. But I can't go on like this anymore." She leaned in closer to Professor Sonoda, pressing their chests together. Suddenly it was her professor who was on the defensive, being pushed backwards by her determined student. "The thoughts of you, of knowing that I can't have you, are driving me <em>crazy</em>! If I don't truly try to do <em>something </em>with you, then I... I just don't know what to do with myself anymore."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki, wait a moment." Professor Sonoda attempted to interject, though she didn't reach out to push Maki away. Her breathing was a bit heavier, and there was a dusting of pink on her cheeks. In that moment, Maki could feel all of that, as attuned to what was happening as she was. Nothing else mattered but the woman she was trying to seduce. Everything else had faded into the background. "We... We shouldn't do this. You know that..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I know," Maki murmured back, her own heart thudding against her ribcage. She kept expecting her professor to finally react negatively, to push her away and admonish her for being a terrible person. The longer it didn't happen, the bolder she got. She couldn't explain it, and she didn't want to try. If she did, what she was doing might just crumble around her. "We shouldn't, but I <em>want </em>to. I <em>need </em>to. Please, Professor... Just once, please? Indulge me just this once, and I won't bring it up again. I promise..." Of course, she had made such a promise to not bring it up in general, and look where that had gotten them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki..." Her tone was reluctant, as if she was telling herself internally to stop what they were doing. However, it didn't seem as if she was strong enough to do what she had done last month in the classroom. Now it was just the two of them on her couch, and she wasn't stopping Maki from doing what she was doing. Maki kept leaning in closer, until there were just inches between their faces, and still she did nothing. That was enough for Maki to truly go for broke. She closed the rest of the small distance between them, pressing her lips to her professor's.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>For about ten seconds, their lips were frozen in place, neither of them making any major moves. Maki kept waiting to be pushed away, but that moment never came. Each second that passed emboldened her, until she wrapped her arms around her professor's back and kissed her for all she was worth. She kissed her with every ounce of information she had gathered from online guides, like it was the only thing missing from her life. Like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle that had been missing for far too long.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She had said that getting to enter her professor's house was the best moment of her life. That was no longer true. Now it was having her professor kiss her back. Feeling her lips actually moving against hers sent static bolts of pleasure she never expected to feel shooting across her lips and down her body. She had never felt more excited about anything in her life, and she wanted <em>more</em>. Tightening her grip on her professor, she kissed her as ferociously as she could, making them both fall back against the armrest. The movement caused the folder of Professor Sonoda's papers to fall off the couch, hitting the ground and scattering them all around.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Shit," Maki muttered, halting her kissing at the sound of the papers falling. "Sorry, Professor. I'll... I'll get that." She slowly started to disentangle herself from Professor Sonoda's body, but she was caught off guard when her professor grabbed her shirt and yanked her back down. Falling back on top of her, she was further surprised by her professor initiating the kiss that time.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It's alright, Maki," she muttered in return, speaking in between fervent, desperate kisses. "I'll pick it up later." Now she had her arms wrapped around Maki, leaving her no room to try and pick up those papers. Then again, she didn't really want to do that anyway. It would mean taking precious time away from the fever dream of a reality she had found herself in. If she truly was dreaming, and this wasn't actually happening, then Gods damn if she should ever wake up.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They made out on the couch for more time than Maki could keep track of. She wasn't going to bother looking at her phone to check when there were lips to kiss. All of her nerves went away in that moment, leaving her with a narrow vision of confidence that she refused to break sight of. It felt so <em>right </em>to be kissing her professor, no matter how wrong it may be. Her lips tasted amazing: a hint of red bean paste was on her lips, perhaps from a snack she had before they met in the school hallway. Even the way her lips were <em>shaped </em>was incredible. It felt like their lips fit perfectly together, like they were meant to be doing this. Sure, it was wrong, but she didn't have to think about the consequences now. As long as she wasn't being pushed away, she only had to think about what was happening in that moment. She was more than happy with that.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Finally, after however long of making out, Professor Sonoda <em>did </em>break their kiss, but not for the reason Maki might have suspected. "It's a bit uncomfortable lying here," she admitted with a slightly embarrassed smile. Then she asked a question that, despite what they had just been doing, Maki had never expected to hear. They were words that she just couldn't possibly expect to hear rearranged in such a way, and coming from her professor's mouth. "Shall we... head to the bedroom?" </p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. After School Lessons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Maki heads to Umi's bedroom for the first time, where she learns a lot more than she would in class.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>Maki could hardly believe what she was hearing. Her eyes lit up as she stared at Umi, her jaw dropping. Had her professor, the one she had been crushing on since she first laid eyes on her, actually invited her to her bedroom? There was no way there was anything innocent about that request: not after what they had just done with each other. Only an utter fool would say no, or hesitate any longer. Maki may have been many things, but a fool, she was not. She nodded hard, disentangling herself from her professor and jumping to her feet. She was all too eager to follow her professor to the bedroom, and it took all she had to not start running ahead. Not that she could with how narrow the hallway ended up being. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>While they walked to the bedroom, she had to work hard to keep her nerves from rearing its ugly head. Having been practically glued to her professor's lips did wonders for keeping her mind occupied, but now there was nothing but the walk to keep her thoughts at bay. She was already worrying about actually going to bed with Professor Sonoda. Surely, her professor was a lot more experienced than she was. That had been her first kiss, so she wasn't coming into this with a wealth of expertise. Hopefully her online studies would help her out, or perhaps Professor Sonoda would take the initiative.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>When she entered the bedroom, she was at least able to distract herself by taking a look around. Professor Sonoda's bed was smack dab in the middle of the back wall, white sheets folded perfectly on the mattress. Above the headboard was a kendo helmet and shinai, with a pennant for a university tournament hanging right beneath them. On her left was a door that likely led to a closet, with a dresser against the wall on her right. There were several more photographs on top of the dresser, along with a few other foreign-looking trinkets.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Without a word, Professor Sonoda headed for the bed, and Maki followed equally silent. When her professor turned to face her, she could finally see the emotion on her face. She seemed worried, likely about what they were doing. That was fair, since what they were doing would get them both in a lot of trouble if they were caught. There was just so much hesitance in her, and it was making Maki start to doubt herself. She needed to do something, or she'd lose her nerve, and this would have all been for naught.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Professor Sonoda?" She stepped close enough to where their toes were touching, her hands reaching out to take her professor's in hers. "This... This is my first time, and I want it to be with you. I want it to be special, so... will you please take care of me?" She held her professor's gaze, trying to show just how serious she was about this. Hopefully what she had said wasn't something that would completely kill the mood and do the opposite of what she wanted. If Professor Sonoda wanted a more experienced lover, than she was in trouble.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Her professor sucked in a breath, staring at her with wide eyes. She seemed to be contemplating how exactly to continue, and all Maki could do was wait for the verdict. Finally, Professor Sonoda squeezed her hands, smiling at her. "Yes, Maki. I'll take good care of you." She started to pull her to the bed, and Maki started to smile the widest smile she'd smiled that entire day. Maybe <em>ever</em>.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Standing at the edge of the bed, she watched with bated breath as Professor Sonoda began to unbutton her blouse. Each button that came undone exposed a bit more of herself to her professor. Of course, she'd already shown plenty of cleavage previously in pursuit of this very moment, so it shouldn't have been that big of a deal. Still, she'd never exposed this much of herself to someone before, and it was hard for someone like her not to be embarrassed. Even if she was the one who wanted it to happen. She just had to think of how she would expose the same amount of skin while wearing a bikini at the beach. It wasn't any different than that. At least, logically it wasn't. Still, <em>something </em>felt different: she just wasn't sure what.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Professor Sonoda finished unbuttoning her blouse and removed it from her body. Her breasts rose and fell with her breathing, hiding within her scarlet bra. She could see her professor's gaze lingering on them, which made her blush, but it also gave her a jolt of confidence. Knowing that she was pretty enough for the woman of her affections to appreciate physically was good for her self-esteem.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She then went down to her jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping them before gently tugging them down. Gravity did the rest, making them fall until they pooled around her ankles. Looking down at herself, Maki found herself blushing deeper at the noticeable wet spot right on the crotch of her matching panties. There was no hiding how aroused she had become. That was public information for her crush, and she slowly looked up to see what kind of reaction it was getting.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Her professor was looking her over, though her expression was tough to read. She didn't seem to be disappointed or concerned, but she didn't exactly look happy. Now Maki was feeling a bit nervous, squirming in place as she clasped her hands together in front of her crotch. This was taking the embarrassment and worry from her classmates staring at her cleavage and sending it to a much higher level. She was desperate for Professor Sonoda to say something.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You're very beautiful," she whispered, as if determined to make Maki blush the hardest she ever had in her life. Her hands began to caress Maki's body, down her sides and over her hips. She leaned in to kiss Maki, which she was only too happy to reciprocate. Now her hands were moving across her stomach, then around her back to pull her in closer. "I've always noticed how beautiful you were, but..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I know," Maki murmured back, placing her hands on Professor Sonoda's hips. She kissed her slow and deep, not wanting to pull away: not wanting this evening to end. "I felt the same way." She knew all too well how attractive Professor Sonoda was, and how badly she wanted to touch all over her body. Now that they had both given in to their desires, there was nothing stopping her from doing just that.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Professor Sonoda pulled away from her lips, gently laying her on the bed. Maki scooted up on the bed, lifting herself onto her elbows and watching as her professor began to remove her own clothes. Her eyes were wide and nothing short of an earthquake was going to pull her attention away from what was happening in front of her. This was every fantasy she had for the past three months coming true, and she wasn't going to miss a second.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She watched with rapt attention as her professor pulled her shirt over her head, dropping it on the floor and sweeping her hair back over her shoulder. Her small, perky breasts were covered by a simple, navy blue bra, but her toned stomach had nothing covering it any longer. Maki was floored by how fit her professor looked, with more than a hint of muscle on her arms. That, however, was nothing compared to the abs on this woman. Where did she find the time to work out so emphatically with her job as a professor assumedly taking up so much of her time? Maki was close to drooling, wanting to run her tongue across those abs.</p>
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  <p>Next came her shorts, which revealed a matching pair of blue panties. However, this particular pair had light blue lace circling the waistband, which was both cute and unbelievably sexy. Maki's breathing was ratcheting up: she couldn't believe this was happening. She was lying on Professor Sonoda's bed in her underwear, watching the biggest crush she'd ever have undress for her. They were going to <em>fuck</em>, and she wasn't sure if she was going to jump her professor in excitement or pass out from it.</p>
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  <p>Now that they both were in their underwear, Professor Sonoda got onto the bed and crawled on top of Maki. Looking up at her, Maki had never felt so exposed in her life. However, she had also never felt so safe. Despite how dangerous what the two of them were doing was, she didn't think anything could harm her with her professor's strong arms straddling her body. The wet spot on her panties was growing.</p>
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  <p>Professor Sonoda leaned down to kiss her, pressing their bodies together. Maki could feel the heat emanating off of her professor's body, mixing with her own to make the entire room feel extremely heated. Despite being half naked, she already felt as if she was sweating. That didn't stop her from wrapping her arms around her professor's body and kissing her for all she was worth, though. They were grinding their crotches together, little moans of pleasure slipping out from their lips.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Her professor's lips moved down from her lips to her neck, kissing gently against her skin. She moaned happily, holding on tighter to her older lover. It was clear that Professor Sonoda was being careful not to leave any markings to avoid unnecessary questions. It still felt good, and Maki let her quiet moans be her vocalizations, to silently beg for more from her crush. She wanted everything Professor Sonoda had to give her, and more if possible.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Suddenly, she felt her professor's body moving off of her, lying on her side. She was confused for a moment, but began to understand once she started moving down to her legs. Right away, she scooted towards the back of the bed, laying her head on a pillow as Professor Sonoda got between her legs. Seeing her in such a position had her libido working overtime. Only in her fantasies had she believed such an event could be possible, and now it was really happening.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Let me take care of you, Maki." Her entire body shuddered upon hearing that. She wanted that more than anything, so when Professor Sonoda said it, she just nodded slightly, having no reason to complain. Her hands were then on her hips, her fingers slipping into the waistband of her panties. She lifted her hips off the bed, allowing her professor to remove her underwear from her body. For the first time in her life, she was exposing her pussy to another person.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Before she originally propositioned her professor, she had shaved herself down there for the first time. The couple of nicks she'd given herself with her razor were worth it in her opinion, feeling that someone like Professor Sonoda would appreciate a girl who took care of herself down there. After being rejected, she continued to shave just because she secretly liked how it looked. Now, with her professor's face hovering over her crotch, she was so thankful that she'd kept it up.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Be gentle," Maki whispered, blushing and biting on her lower lip. Truth be told, she'd learned that line from a porno she'd watched, but it was still relevant to their current situation. Of course, she was sure that Professor Sonoda <em>would </em>be gentle with her, but saying it out loud was just for her own peace of mind. Despite the situation they were in, her professor no longer seemed hesitant or embarrassed. It was as if she had come to accept the situation at hand, and she was going to make the best of it. With a smile, she nodded, then got fully between Maki's legs and put her head between her thighs.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The moment Professor Sonoda's tongue hit her slit, Maki bucked her hips up and let out a low, long moan. She grabbed the bedsheets and tugged hard on them, silently promising to fix them once they were done. Her professor's tongue felt incredible against her slit, licking up and down to clean up her juices. Of course, the more she did that, the more juices she put out, making the entire task fruitless. Hopefully she didn't taste too bad.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Professor Sonoda's hands were on her thighs, squeezing them and spreading her legs apart as her tongue dipped in between her folds. She was definitely experienced, moving her tongue around to spots that made Maki's body constantly shake. It was as if she knew every pleasurable place to focus on. She whimpered and whined, wrapping her legs around her professor's head and bucking upwards. This was so much better than what her fingers could do.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Professor..." Maki moaned out loud, digging her nails into the sheets. She bucked her hips up into her professor's face, feeling her nose pressing against her clit. While lashing her tongue, Professor Sonoda started grinding her nose against her clit, which made her cry out in pleasure. They were alone in her professor's house. If she wanted to moan as loud as she wanted, and say whatever she wanted, she could. No one was going to hear them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Professor, that feels so good..." She had never considered herself a very vocal person. Not that she had any experience to prove that, but she tended to keep quiet unless she needed to speak. She expected it to be the same in the bedroom, but she <em>wanted </em>to say something. She wanted her professor to know how good she was making her feel. "Please, keep doing that..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She indeed continued to do that, flicking and swirling her tongue around the area that had Maki feeling so much pleasure. Bucking up against her professor's face, she cried out again when Professor Sonoda's nose pressed down against her clit. The pleasure was a lot more potent than it was when she was fingering herself. She could feel everything that her professor was doing, and it was all heightened to extreme levels due to their situation. The room felt so hot, and Maki wondered if she was feeling this way because of or in spite of how risky it all was.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Wanting to increase the pleasure she was feeling, Maki pushed her bra up above her breasts and started to squeeze her chest. She let out a loud yelp when she pinched her nipples, another scenario she'd seen on a porn website. It was painful, but it felt surprisingly good. That seemed like something she should question, but now was not the time. Instead, she kept pinching her nipples, whimpering out 'Professor' repeatedly as said professor ate her out.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The entire room felt like it was under a thick haze. It settled around their bodies, encasing them in a wondrous fog that Maki never wanted to escape from. Through that fog, she watched Professor Sonoda eating her out with hungry movements. She kept bucking against her face, but she never stopped for more than a few seconds. It made her wonder if her professor had a jaw so strong that it didn't need a break. Doing that sort of thing for this long seemed like it would wear someone out. She wasn't complaining, though, because she didn't <em>want </em>her professor to stop. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>The pleasure was seeping into her pores, filling her entire body up with its sensations. All she could see, all she could feel was that pleasure: more than anything she had ever experienced in her life. Nothing could possibly compare to what Professor Sonoda was doing to her. That tongue was just as professional as she was in her work setting, and it got the job done equally well. This was an A+ scenario for sure.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Her body began tensing up as she got closer to cumming. Professor Sonoda could sense it as well, so she changed up her actions. Her tongue slipped out from deep within her pussy, heading up for her clit to pay close attention to it. She flicked her tongue up and down on it, then circled it around the sensitive nub. Each time, Maki would buck and squeal, tightening her legs around her professor's head. She was close. She was so close...</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"P-Professor!" With a shout to the Heavens, she pulled Professor Sonoda's face hard into her crotch with her legs. Her tongue slammed forward into her clit, which was more than enough to send her tumbling over the edge. With her body writhing around on the bed, she came all over her professor's face. She held her there tightly, refusing to relax her legs as the most powerful orgasm she'd ever experienced ran through her body.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It wasn't as if her own masturbation didn't make her feel good. She'd felt plenty of pleasure thinking about her professor doing exactly what they were doing right now while her hand was between her legs. There had been plenty of good orgasms in her own bed, but the one she was having in Professor Sonoda's bed blew all of those out of the water. Her mouth was hanging open, though she couldn't tell if she was screaming or not. There were black spots flickering in and out of her vision, and even when she closed her eyes, they still blinked ceaselessly against her eyelids. In that moment, there was nothing but pleasure, and she had never felt so alive.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It took a bit for her body to settle down from such an incredible orgasm. Even after she finished cumming, her legs were still wrapped tightly around Professor Sonoda's head, and her body was still shaking like a leaf. After that, she finally calmed down, letting her legs unfurl from around her lover and fall slack on either side of her. Eyes closed and head flat against the pillow, she panted heavily, her body still going through residual twitches. Was the room supposed to be spinning in the dark?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>When she next opened her eyes, she could see Professor Sonoda getting out from between her legs and crawling over towards her. The sheen of her juices on her face was clearer the closer she got, which made her start to blush profusely. Lying down next to her, propped up on an arm, her professor looked over her with a soft, warm gaze.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"How are you feeling?" She draped an arm across Maki's chest, looking over her heated cheeks and struggling puffs of air.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Tired," Maki admitted, feeling a light coating of sweat all over her body. "You are incredible, Professor." She was surprised to see Professor Sonoda blush, though maybe she too wasn't great at accepting compliments.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I appreciate that, but, may I make a request?" Maki nodded, wondering what that exact request was going to be. If it was 'Don't tell anyone what we've done,' she didn't have to worry about that. Besides Nozomi, whom she trusted with her life, this all was going to the grave with her. "Could you please call me Umi? At least while we're doing... <em>this </em>together. You calling me 'Professor' feels too formal."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Oh, okay!" Maki swallowed nervously. She'd <em>never </em>called her professor anything other than 'Professor' or 'Professor Sonoda'. To call her by her real name was a huge step in her mind. She was used to formalities, having grown up around them. It was just something in her own mind, though. Her professor wouldn't be thinking like that. "I can do that, Umi." Something so simple was truly incredible. Hearing the first name of her crush leave her lips gave her a tingling sensation. She even giggled a little, unable to believe that she was actually getting to call her favorite professor by her first name. That was huge!</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Is something funny?" Umi looked at her in bemusement, which made her stop giggling real quick.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"O-Oh, no! It's just... I never thought I'd get to say your first name. It feels strange on my tongue, but it's a nice strange." She smiled awkwardly, knowing that what she was saying made little sense. "But, anyway, uhm... I'm glad my first time was with you, Umi. I've never felt this good in my life."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well, at least I know my skills haven't faded yet," Umi chuckled, pressing her arm down gently against Maki's chest. "I have another question, actually." Maki nodded, encouraging her to continue. "Is it alright if I kiss you?" At first, Maki couldn't understand why Umi would ask her such a question. They had just done a <em>lot </em>more than kissing. Then she saw the shine of her own quim under the light, glistening on Umi's lips, and she understood why it was being asked.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I've never tasted myself before," she admitted, blushing deeply. Whenever she'd make a mess on her fingers, she'd dry them off with a towel. However, this was Umi, and she was willing to do just about anything, as long as it was with her. "But I wouldn't mind, as long as it's with you."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Smiling, Umi leaned down and placed her lips against Maki's. This time, a different taste invaded her senses. So that was what she tasted like. It wasn't too bad, if she wasn't being too self-centered. She wrapped her arms around Umi's neck and brought her closer, kissing her deeply and taking in their combined tastes. This was Heaven: it really was. Lying naked in her crush's bed, making out with her after having gotten her pussy eaten out for the first time... What could top that?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Of course, she couldn't rest on her laurels yet. She had been given the most incredible pleasure she'd ever experienced, but Umi was still left wanting. That didn't sit right with her. Sure, she wasn't experienced like the small amount of people that surrounded her in her life, but that didn't mean she was daft. If she was going to be granted such pleasure, it was only fair that she reciprocate in kind. As long as Umi was okay with it, of course.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Once she had caught her breath after their latest makeout session, she pressed her forehead against Umi's and teased her fingers down her spine. "If it's alright with you, I would like to return the favor." Her hands moved lower, gliding across Umi's back. She felt pretty muscular there too, and Maki just wanted to put her lips on every inch of skin she could reach. Hopefully there would be enough time for that, though. For now, she had something else to do.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I would like that." Smiling, Umi gave her one final kiss, then laid down on her back. Resting her head against the pillow, she got in the same position that Maki had been in before. In turn, she took over Umi's position, moving between her legs and getting her hips up so her underwear would come off easier. As they came down her legs, Maki got to see her professor's pussy for the first time. It wasn't completely shaven like hers, with a degree of bush neatly taken care of just above her lower lips. She supposed that Umi always kept it like that, but a little self-indulgent part of her brain wanted her to believe that Umi had <em>known </em>this might happen, so she had prepared herself for this moment. It wasn't likely, though.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Now, Maki had done her best to study up on how to eat pussy, but mostly she just had to take an educated guess. She knew what she had felt when Umi had done it, though she hadn't been able to see just <em>how </em>she'd been doing it in their respective positions. Her tongue stuck out just beyond her lips as she stared half-horny, half-worried at Umi's pussy. She wanted to just dive in right away, but she was having a sudden bought of fear that she was going to do it wrong. Perhaps someone of Umi's age and expertise level wanted it done a specific way that she couldn't properly prepare for.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She suddenly felt Umi's fingers running through her hair. "It's okay, Maki. I know you haven't done this before." She ducked her head in embarrassment, hating to be reminded how she was a virgin. "Let me guide you." Getting a grip on her hair, Umi gently pressed her head forward, until she could breathe in her professor's scent. "Stick your tongue out and run it up and down my lips."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Maki did as requested, her tongue coming out fully to move across her lover's lower lips. It felt awkward to be told what to do, like she was completely incapable. Though, she pretty much was... However, she <em>could </em>look at it from a different perspective. It was her teacher doing some at-home teaching, on a subject she actually <em>didn't </em>know much about. She was just an eager student, ready to be taught by the woman she had the hots for. That actually made it feel much better.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She could taste a hint of Umi's arousal on her lips. The light shine of her juices cling to her perfectly-shaped pussy, and she lapped it up eagerly. She did her best to register the taste on her tastebuds so that she would never forget it. Of course, she wouldn't mind having it on the daily so she truly <em>wouldn't </em>forget, but she knew in the back of her mind that this could be a one time only event. It was best not to waste that opportunity.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Now, press your tongue in between my folds, There's no need to rush." Wasn't there, though? Didn't Umi want to feel the same pleasure she had given her? However, she wasn't willing to go against her suggestion, so she just nodded slightly and pressed her tongue in between Umi's folds. She took things slow, just as Umi had mentioned, getting her tongue inside and doing a bit of exploring. It felt a bit weird having her tongue in somewhere that felt like... well, like <em>that</em>. She kept bumping the tip of her tongue, and it was tight enough down there that she couldn't move around quite as well as she expected.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Eventually she got herself moving, squeezing Umi's hips as she ate her out. She moved her tongue around in semicircles, trying to remember the directions Umi's tongue took to get her writhing. Her ears were fully attuned to what was going on above her, hoping that she would hear <em>anything </em>coming from Umi. So far, she hadn't gotten any sounds, whether pleasurable or otherwise, and it was quite a hit to her confidence. She just had to remind herself that she had just started, and it would get better as she went along.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Lift your tongue up," Umi called out, guiding Maki with the hand in her hair. "Keep moving up until I tell you to stop." Maki did so, moving her tongue up until a low, surprising hiss came from Umi's lips. She didn't even need to be told what to do then. She stopped instantly, waiting for Umi to say something. "Good, right there, Maki..." Her voice had fallen to a husky whisper, which sent shivers down her spine. "Keep licking me there."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Maki did so, flicking her tongue up and down against Umi's clit. It made her heart thud against her chest to hear noises coming from Umi: the sounds of her quiet moans and the occasional bucking of her hips made her feel incredible. That was exactly what she wanted to do, and she wanted to keep making it happen. She continued to flick her tongue across the sensitive nub, moving it in circles like she remembered Umi doing to her. The reactions she was getting made it clear that she was at least acquitting herself well enough.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She remembered that Umi hadn't spent her entire time lapping at that particular spot, so she took her tongue back lower. Returning it to the inside of Umi's pussy, she shoved it in there as deep as she could. She didn't have a particularly long tongue, but she did what she could with what she had. Without having to be guided around, she moved her tongue from side to side, then around in a circular pattern. She'd go faster, then slow down to keep her jaw from cramping up. At least it didn't sound as if what she was doing was in vain.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Umi's moans were getting louder, though not yet at the level that Maki's had been. Her grip on Maki's hair grew tighter, and she even tugged on it a bit. It wasn't enough to make her feel any pain, but it certainly let her know that she was there. Not that she'd ever forget that, of course. Her hips were bucking up against her face, light panting intermingling with the other noises she was making. It spurred Maki on, to keep going with everything she was doing.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She tried to look up past Umi's crotch, wanting to see what was going on above her. Her eyesight glided down Umi's toned stomach, seeing that like her, Umi had pulled her bra up and was starting to play with her breasts. She was pinching her nipples and pawing at her perky mounds, biting down hard on her lip to keep from making too much noise. Maki felt a surge of heat between her legs, and she wanted to make it so that Umi wasn't hiding her true feelings from her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Umi..." She pulled her tongue out from Umi's snatch, lifting her head to make eye contact with her lover. "Please don't muffle yourself. I... I want to hear if I'm doing a good job. I want to hear <em>you</em>, so badly..." Her face was flushed, but the truth burned in her eyes and dripped from her words. Umi could tell her she was doing a good job, and that would make her so happy, but to hear the truth in her moans and cries of absolute pleasure? That would be even better.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You <em>are </em>doing a good job, Maki." Umi made sure to reassure her of that, but she didn't go back to biting down on her lip. Seeing that, Maki sunk back down to her original position, slipping her tongue back inside Umi. This time, as she explored inside Umi's snatch, her professor was less shy about making her voice heard. Her moans were like audible velvet coating Maki's ears: better than the prettiest symphonies she'd heard at the biggest theaters. That, combined with the taste of Umi, made her feel like she had died and gone to Heaven.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki, please," Umi huffed, constantly bucking her hips up. Maki's heart soared hearing that, feeling as if she wasn't completely screwing things up. "Please move your tongue up..." Figuring that Umi wanted her to start licking her clit again, Maki dragged her tongue around Umi's walls, until it moved over her clit. She could feel her professor's body tensing up beneath her hands, and she tightened her grip as she started to flick her clit with her tongue.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Ohh Gods..." Umi suddenly sat up partially, which temporarily halted Maki's tongue lashings. She was about to question what was going on, but Umi quickly answered that by shoving a hand between her legs. Having it by Maki's face, she pushed one, then two fingers inside herself. "Focus on my clit, Maki. Let me do the rest." Acquiescing, Maki tilted her head so that Umi had more room to finger herself. She resumed the movements of her tongue, feeling a bit out of sorts with Umi throwing herself into the pleasure proceedings. If it was what she wanted, though, than she would allow it to happen.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki..." Each time she felt that she'd reached the peak of her happiness, something else would happen that gave her a little more room to climb. Hearing Umi say her name in the throes of pleasure was a powerful aphrodisiac. Her pussy was starting to get nice and lubricated again, staining the sheets as she pressed her crotch against the side of the bed. She ground against it desperately, her whimpers muffled in between Umi's powerful legs.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Moving one hand off of Umi's hip, she dipped it between her legs and fingered herself. It felt selfish to be getting herself off again while Umi hadn't even cum once, but she was too horny to deal with common sense at the moment. Her pussy was throbbing and aching for some kind of touch, and since Umi was currently busy, her own fingers would have to do. At least she wasn't slacking with what she was doing to Umi's pussy, and it didn't seem like she minded.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki, Maki... Ff-!" She had never heard her professor swear before. That would've been quite the thing to hear, but she wasn't given that opportunity. Umi's words tapered off as her orgasm hit. Her grip in Maki's hair was the tightest it had been yet, holding her in place. Unlike Maki's messy orgasm, her's was a lot more contained. There were still juices for Maki to thirstily lap up, but it didn't get everywhere like hers had. Umi was just too elegant of a human being to be that unclean.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It made things easy to clean up once Umi retracted her fingers. Just as Umi had done for her, Maki ran her tongue across Umi's slit, gathering up the few drops of quim that showed the truth of her professor's indiscretions. She wasn't sure if the taste was actually that good, or if she was just blinded by her feelings, but she <em>really </em>liked how Umi tasted. If this was only a one-time deal, she had to admit that she'd be pretty sad.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Her fingers continued to move in and out of her own pussy, her arousal having steadily grown back to its original levels. It was too much for her to let go, so she hoped that Umi didn't mind her attempting to get herself off again. Doing it behind the bed didn't hide the truth from Umi, who noticed what was going on the moment she sat up. Her stamina was a lot better than Maki's, as she seemed no worse for the wear. It was as if she had just done a light cardio workout.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I see you're ready to go again," Umi chuckled, reaching down to grab Maki's arm. She immediately stopped fingering herself, looking up at Umi with wide, lustful eyes. There was no hiding how she felt, so she allowed Umi in, letting her see everything she wanted without a word being said. "I hope you're prepared for this, Maki. I have quite a lot of stamina, so please let me know when you're ready to retire for the night."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Not yet." The way Umi had worded that stoked a bit of a competitive fire inside of Maki. She was saying that they could stop when <em>Maki </em>was ready to quit, as if she would be the first to throw in the towel. Logically, that made sense, but her dum-dum brain took that as an insult. Let's be real: she wanted to fuck Umi all night long, and she'd been wanting to do it for months now. There was no way she was tapping the mat until her body gave out from under her. "I'm far from done, Umi." Those words, that declaration, made Umi smile.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"That's what I like to hear from my top student."</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Three AM Regrets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Unable to sleep due to her churning guilt, Umi decides to call Eli to let out her feelings.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>Umi glanced over at the alarm clock on her nightstand: 03:00. When she said she had a lot of stamina, she hadn't been kidding. She had expected someone as inexperienced as Maki to give in after two orgasms, maybe three max. Maki surprised her, though. Stubborn and determined as she was, she refused to kneel, even as her fingers and jaw cramped up from overuse. It wasn't until midnight, after they had been going at it for over five hours, that Maki had been forced to admit defeat. Even after the two of them had paused for a nice, filling dinner, countless orgasms after so many hours were too much for the poor girl.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She had to admit, she had never felt pleasure quite like she had that night. While she wouldn't consider herself an expert in sex, she'd had a few partners in her time on this Earth. For someone who was voted 'Most likely to remain a virgin' in an unofficial high school yearbook poll, her classmates would be surprised that she had any experience in bed. Yes, she had been quite the prude growing up, but university experimentation had done wonders in broadening her horizons.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>None of her previous partners had given her the same feelings as Maki, though. Despite her admitted inexperience, she was a quick study, and was willing to do whatever it took to draw moans out of her partner. Umi shouldn't have been surprised: she was just that kind of student. Whether it was in the classroom or, apparently, in the bedroom, she had an open mind and was willing to do what she needed to do in order to get that top grade. She would certainly be more than happy to stamp a big A+ on her young lover's cute little butt.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>However, she couldn't escape the inherent issue with what they had done. She had never expected to end up in this situation. Yes, she'd had a couple students in the past make passes at her, but she'd shut them down without issue. It wasn't her prerogative to get into a relationship with a student. She wasn't going to say that she had unattractive students: there were plenty of good-looking ones that came through her classes over the years. However, she had never felt inclined to do anything untoward with them. Losing her job over a fling wasn't worth it. Besides, she didn't <em>need </em>sex. Sure, it was nice, but she wasn't waking up at night in a cold sweat, wondering why there wasn't anything being put between her legs.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>For some reason, Maki was different. Yes, she was beautiful: model-like, with an air of assured grace whenever she walked into the room. She had noticed it within the first week of class. There was more to it than that, though. She was a wonderful student: studious and focused, more than any other student she'd had. The entire package that was Maki Nishikino would draw anyone in, though she'd done her best to not pay attention to those kinds of feelings. It was much more difficult to do so when Maki had first propositioned her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Of course, she'd said no, just like she should. A relationship between herself and a student would be inappropriate, even if it wasn't already against the rules. She had made that clear, and she had hoped that Maki would accept her decision. There was something inside her that told her if Maki brought it up again, she wouldn't be able to say no. That was further compounded by Eli's insistence that she 'loosen up' and 'give the girl a chance'. It made her feel that what had happened that night had been inevitable. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>That didn't make her feel any better about it, though. She looked over on her right, feeling an uncomfortable amount of guilt in the pit of her stomach. Lying next to her was Maki, the covers halfway up her body as she slept soundly. Hours of powerful sex would do that to a person. Having only put her panties back on, Umi could see the sides of her breasts pressed against the mattress. She watched the gentle movements of Maki's chest as she silently breathed, finding herself smiling at the utterly peaceful look on her face. When she realized what she was doing, she went right back to frowning.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>This was wrong. What they had done was wrong. She knew it, and Maki knew it as well. They had both agreed to do it, falling into each other's arms when neither of them could stay away from the other any longer. That didn't mean it was okay, though. She was the authority figure, and she should have continued to put a stop to it. If she had been more firm, or if she hadn't let Eli's words worm their way into her head, she wouldn't be lying there in the nude with a nineteen-year-old, nearly-naked student sleeping next to her. In the end, it was her fault for letting this happen.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Falling back asleep was going to be impossible with her mind in such a state. She needed to talk to someone so she could vocalize her worries and her shame. Of course, there was only one person she could call about this, as they too were going through the same thing. She couldn't imagine Eli actually being awake this late, but it was worth a shot. Maybe she could get away with blaming Eli for all this...</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Slipping out of bed as quietly as she could, she grabbed her t-shirt and shorts off the ground and put them back on. Picking up her phone from the nightstand, she made sure that Maki was still asleep before exiting the room. Down the hallway she went, heading for the living room and over to the curtains. Pulling them aside, she saw the rain was still coming down. It had barely given them a break the rest of the day, and even into the middle of the night it was still pouring.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Opening the sliding glass door, she stepped out into her backyard, hearing the rain pounding the roof above her. Once she closed the door, she sat down on a wooden chair she had on the back porch and dialed Eli's number. Putting the phone to her ear, she stared out into the rain, not expecting anything to come of this call. It was sort of calming in a way, watching the rain come down and being alone with her thoughts.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Umi?" Eli's exhausted voice came from the other line. She must've been woken up by the phone call. "It's three in the morning. What's going on?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"My apologies for waking you. There was just something I needed to talk to you about." She sighed deeply, turning up the volume on her phone so she could better hear what Eli had to say. "I... I took your advice."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"My advice? What advice?" Eli's exhaustion must've made her forget that she was the one who had given her the 'courage' to get into this mess in the first place.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"The advice with Maki. I..." She didn't even want to say it out loud, as if the university had bugged her phone and was listening to her conversation. "We, uh..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Ohh!" It seemed that Eli finally understood what Umi was trying to say. "So you finally did her, huh? I knew you had it in you!" Blushing, Umi hid her face behind her hand. Sometimes she wasn't convinced that Eli was as mature as she appeared to be. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You could be less crass about it..." Umi shook her head and leaned back in her chair, biting her lip. "I feel terrible, Eli. She's just a student, and I took advantage of her. If anyone finds out what happened, she'll be expelled, and I'll lose my job." She didn't say it out loud, but she also felt guilty about being the one to take Maki's virginity. It was something that she was able to push into the back of her mind in the moment, but now it was front and center. Maki should have been able to give her virginity to someone who she was going to be in a relationship with: not someone whom she could never truly be together with.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Didn't she want it even more than you did? She spoke about it constantly to Nozomi."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"That's not the point, Eli!" She was starting to lose her temper, so she took a moment to breathe and compose herself. "It doesn't matter what she wants. She's just a student: <em>my </em>student. It's not okay for me to do the things we did together with her. How am I supposed to look myself in the mirror knowing that I couldn't keep myself from putting my hands on one of my students?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You use your eyes." Umi almost threw her phone into the rain. "Don't stress out so much, Umi. You agreed with me that you could use some more fun in your life, and what's more fun than a horny redhead?" Yup, her phone was going right into the grass. "She wanted it, you wanted it. 'S'all good, sis."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Is that Umi?" She heard another voice a little farther away, which made her eyes go wide. Was someone else there listening in on their conversation?! "Did she actually bone Maki?" Wait, that had to be... Nozomi, right? The student that Eli had admitted to having sex with. Should she even be surprised that Eli had bedded Nozomi that night? Did she have no shame? ... Did <em>she </em>have no shame?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"She sure did." Eli sounded way too happy about that, like a proud parent whose child got onto the Dean's list. "I don't know all the details yet, but they totally did it, and Umi's feeling guilty about it." That was putting it lightly.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Aww, no need for that!" She could hear Nozomi's voice getting closer to the receiver, likely because she was now lying on top of Eli. "I bet Maki's on cloud nine now after the two of you did it! She's been lusting after you since she first laid eyes on you, Umi. You have no idea how many times she talked to me about you, trying to figure out how to get your attention."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"She kind of mentioned that..." It was still a bit surprising to know that this had been such a long-running issue for Maki, and she wasn't sure whether to be flattered or concerned. In that moment, she was feeling both.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Mhm, mhm. You're pretty much all she talks about. She's really taken a liking to you." Then, suddenly, Nozomi's voice lost its sleepiness and turned rather serious. "I hope you're not planning on hurting her, Umi. She's feeling the same way you are, and she needs to be sure that you aren't feeling that you made a mistake." She went quiet for a second, as if she was trying to think through what she needed to say. "Maki may not seem like it, but she's a sensitive girl. Please treat her carefully."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I..." She swallowed thickly, wanting to refute what Nozomi was saying. It wasn't her intention to hurt Maki. She would never! Would she hurt her if she said that they could never do this again, though? It suddenly felt as if she was trapped in a loop of struggles. Continuing to do what they did would only heighten the risk of them getting in trouble. Stopping all of this sounded like it would break Maki's heart. How had she gotten herself into this mess?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Nozomi, I think we should get back to sleep," Eli interjected, saving Umi from having to struggle through an answer. "I'm glad you two got it on, Umi. Just remember to be careful. Don't do anything too risky, no matter how much your student may beg for it." She could feel Eli's stare through the phone, directed right at Nozomi. A little giggle told her all she needed to know. "And remember, she has feelings too."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I know that," Umi huffed, somewhat annoyed. It was as if they thought she was so emotionally tone-deaf that she didn't realize other people had feelings. Of course she knew that! That was one of the reasons she'd been trying to avoid this outcome all this time. It was too late for that, though. The fact that she was sitting there without any underwear on beneath her clothing told the tale all too well. "Do you really think I go around sleeping with people to hurt them?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Nah, of course not. You're too much of a softy at heart." Umi rolled her eyes, hearing Nozomi giggling in the background. "Hey, if you're still struggling with your feelings in the morning, feel free to call me. I have a bit of experience with this, and I'll do my best to help you figure out what you two can do from here. But, maybe don't call in the middle of the night again."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You could have not answered, you know?" She didn't blame Eli for putting that little condition in, though. If she had been on the other side, she'd probably be somewhat miffed herself. "I am sorry, though. It's just that I couldn't sleep and you're the only person I can talk to about this particular topic."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"That's okay, Umi. I'm not actually mad. Just tired." Confirming that, she let out a loud yawn into the speaker. "I think we should all go back to bed, okay? Try to get some sleep, and call me in the morning if you're still feeling out of shape." That sounded like an agreeable deal. Umi said goodnight to Eli and Nozomi, then hung up. Instead of going right back to bed, she stayed outside for a few more minutes, watching the rain come down.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Maki. She just knew that what they were doing was wrong, though. It had been fun, incredible even, but she felt that it was best to no longer continue it. The more they did it, the more chances they had of being caught. She didn't want to risk it for either of them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Sitting there, thinking on what she needed to do, there was something that she needed to admit to herself. If she was going to be perfectly honest, she didn't <em>want </em>to stop. What she and Maki had done together was frankly incredible. It had been the best sex she'd ever had, bar none. Besides, Maki was just a nice person to be around. They had a great conversation about the medical field over dinner, and it truly showed her how great of a conversationalist Maki was. She was the kind of person she could get used to being around.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It was selfish of her to want to continue pursuing a relationship with Maki. There was no need to rehash all the reasons why that was: she'd gone over it quite enough times since waking up. She already knew every reason why she wanted to continue this, and why she shouldn't do it. It was a decision she needed to make, and as much as she wanted to make it on her own, she knew outside factors were going to determine what she did. The only question was which factors would win out.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She finally got up and went back inside, closing the curtains before returning to her bedroom. Thankfully, Maki was still asleep, or at least she hadn't seemed to move. Creeping over to her side of the bed, she removed her clothes and slipped back into bed. Looking over at Maki, she heard her let out a cute little mumble, seemingly feeling the slight shift of the mattress. Her head nuzzled against the pillow she was using, then she fell still again.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Sighing, she stared at the ceiling, continuing to weigh her options. Time kept ticking away as she became frustrated with herself, hating how indecisive she was being. Needing something to truly hammer home the decision for her, she shuffled onto her side to watch Maki sleep. Despite all the turmoil rushing through her body, she could feel a sense of calm wash over her as she watched the gentle rise and fall of Maki's body with her breathing. She was peaceful enough that it almost made <em>her </em>feel the same way.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>As much as the logical side of her brain was telling her that continuing this any further was a bad idea, she didn't feel strong enough to break it off. They'd only <em>just </em>gotten together, and telling Maki that they shouldn't do it anymore would break her heart. She couldn't do that: not after telling Eli and Nozomi that she wouldn't. Besides, on a selfish level, she <em>wanted </em>to continue. It had been quite awhile since she'd had anything resembling physical intimacy with another person, and Maki made her feel like she had truly been missing out. So... So she was going to let this continue, then?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She gently ran her fingers through Maki's hair, embracing the soft feeling of her scarlet locks. <em>'Yes,' </em>she sighed, unable to take her eyes off of Maki. <em>'Yes I am.'</em></p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. A Monopoly on Her Attention</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>As it turns out, not everyone is happy about Maki's sudden happiness, nor her constant talks with the hot professor.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>The life of Maki Nishikino had really started to trend up since she went to bed with her professor. She found herself waking up and not being punishingly tired. In fact, she felt rested and ready to take on the day. Going to her literature class had become the best part of her day, if only because she got to lay eyes on her crush/lover for an entire class period. She found it almost impossible <em>not </em>to smile the entire time, and she was not known for her smiling.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>When she had woken up in Umi's bed, she had been sure she was dreaming. There had been no way that something so incredibly amazing had happened to her. However, it became more believable when she watched a completely-nude Umi give her a good morning kiss on the cheek. She also was able to then feel the soreness all over her body from what they had done the previous night. It sure didn't feel like a dream.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>After being unable to stop herself from throwing herself at Umi, the two of them sat at the kitchen table together and went over some things about what was going to happen between them. They came to an understanding that they both wanted to continue having sex, but obviously it was something they would have to keep on the down low. That didn't mean they couldn't be cordial to each other in public, but it would be best if they didn't clue anyone in to what they were doing.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Of course, it was tough to <em>not </em>show how excited she was to go to class every morning. She would break out into a big smile whenever she saw Umi up at the front of the class, and her heart would swoon when she'd get a smile back in return. Of course, she was <em>still </em>distracted during class, but it wasn't angst-based anymore. Now it was because she was a giddy schoolgirl who had fallen for her professor. That was perfectly understandable in her book.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Before the two of them had shacked up, she would often deliberately, slowly put her stuff back in her bag so she could give her professor more longing looks. Now she could stay behind to chat Umi up. From a distance, it looked like she was just asking her professor questions about the lesson. In reality, she was just having nice conversations about anything that came to mind. It felt wonderful to have more than one person in her life that she felt comfortable enough with to talk to about the topics she enjoyed. Not only that, but Umi actually <em>liked </em>a lot of the same things. It really did feel like a match made in Heaven.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She would also be remiss to forget the mindblowing sex she was now having every week. Over the weekend, when the two of them were free, they would meet up near Maki's dorm. Umi would pick her up in her car, drive her to her house, and the two of them would spend hours in the loving embrace of each other's arms. After a month's worth of weekend romps, Maki felt comfortable maneuvering around the house in just her underwear. It was secretly liberating, as she had never felt comfortable being so under-dressed before.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>One day, she was leaving class after another nice discussion with Umi about classical music. In class, even if the two of them were alone, she would still call Umi 'Professor Sonoda,' which gave her a certain thrill. They were friends, and they were lovers, but Umi was still her professor: her superior. This was the woman who was teaching her more than she ever thought she'd need to know. It was the kind of thing that fueled many of her weekday fantasies, though she hadn't felt comfortable enough to tell them all to Umi just yet.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She left the classroom with a warm smile on her face, feeling such high elation. It was something she felt whenever she was in Umi's presence. Nozomi had noticed it pretty quickly, and she hadn't even minded the teasing. She knew that Nozomi was happy for her, and that the two of them had something in common they could bond over. Those bonding sessions would end pretty quickly whenever Nozomi started mentioning what kind of kinky shit she and Eli had gotten up to, though. Have a little decency, Nozomi.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Hey! Nishikino!" She barely had time to figure out who was calling her before she was pushed against the wall. Eyes wide, she saw several girls from her class surrounding her. One of them had her pinned against the wall, while the other two hovered around her with narrowed stares.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Eh?!" She squirmed under the girl's hands, but they were - apparently - stronger than her. She tried to grab at the girl's arms, but the other two came around to slap her hands away. Their bodies surrounded her in a semi-circle, preventing anyone else from properly noticing what was going on. "What are you doing?!" she hissed out. Whatever was going on, it had definitely put her on edge. That didn't mean she wanted to cause a scene either. She didn't like having a bunch of eyes on her, no matter what.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"What do <em>you </em>think you're doing?" one of the other girls shot back, a surprising amount of venom in her words. "Spending all that time with Professor Sonoda... You got a monopoly on her or something?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"What?!" Her eyes shot wide open. Had it really been that obvious that she was speaking so often with Umi? She had done her best to be discreet, but apparently these girls had been watching her. They at least knew something, though she could only hope that they didn't know more than what they saw in the classroom. "So what if I talk to her? She's our professor, in case you hadn't noticed. There's nothing stopping me from asking her questions."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"There's more to it than that. Just because you <em>think </em>you're such a smart little bitch doesn't mean we can't see you for who you are." She shoved Maki hard against the wall, making her cry out when she hit her head. "We see you going up to her after class, <em>every... class...</em> buttering her up like a goody goody teacher's pet. We <em>know </em>your game." The other two agreed in a quieter chorus. 'Yeah!' 'Yeah!'</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"As if!" Defaulting to her indignant, aloof self was the only way she was getting out of the scenario with any scrap of dignity left intact. These girls knew way too much for their own good. "You three are just delusional." Lying was all she could do to avoid revealing the truth. Nobody could know what she and Umi were doing. That was a secret she would go to the grave with, or at least until Umi retired.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Shut up!" The girl holding her slammed her back again, knocking her head against the wall. That one really hurt, and her vision unfocused for a moment. "<em>We </em>want Professor Sonoda, and we won't let you get in our way!" They... <em>wanted </em>Umi? Were they trying to have sex with her too? Well, as if! She knew how Umi felt about such things, and she felt confident enough to say that she was the only student that Umi was taking home at night. These jealous little girls had nothing on her!</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Hmpfh, Professor Sonoda has too much integrity to stoop down to your level. If you think she'd give you more than the time of day, I suspect you don't know her very well." Maybe she shouldn't be so antagonizing. As loathe as she was to admit it, the three of them had her right where they wanted her. They were strong enough that she couldn't escape, and it didn't look like anyone was going to bother helping her. Giving them attitude was only going to enrage them further. Having an attitude was all she knew how to life, though.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Rrr..." The girls all snarled at her, looking around at each other. With the other two seemingly looking to the middle girl for leadership, she was the one who had to react. "Don't think this is over, Nishikino!" She yanked Maki off the wall, throwing her down on the ground. Maki yelped when she hit the floor, her bag falling off of her arm. "Professor Sonoda deserves better than some <em>slut </em>who thinks she's better than she actually is." She angrily stomped several times on Maki's bag before giving it a hard kick, sending it over Maki's back and down the hall. "If you keep getting in our way, then you're gonna regret it."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Bite me," Maki shot back, groaning as she laid on the ground. The three girls gave her the nastiest looks she'd ever seen someone give her, then turn on their heels and walk down the hall. For a couple moments, she just laid there and watched them leave, feeling a hollow, throbbing pain on the back of her head. Several people passed by her in the hall, looking down at her but not bothering to see if she needed help. University students really did just take care of their own.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Eventually she pushed herself back onto her feet, heading down the hall to pick her bag back up. She opened it up and took a look inside, seeing her papers had all been crumpled by that girl's ferocious stomping. Pursing her lips, she just closed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and started heading towards her next class. Those girls weren't going to scare her away from Umi. What they had was something special, and she refused to let them get to her.</p>
</div><div>
  <hr/>
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  <p>Maybe it had been premature to say she wouldn't let them get to her. It was easy enough to say that the first time anything had happened. However, the girls had been true to their word, just as she had been true to hers. She had refused to let them stop her from talking to Umi, so she continued going up to her after class and chatting like everything was normal. Unfortunately, they were always watching her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Each time she spoke to Umi, the three girls were waiting for her outside the classroom. They would throw her against the wall, ridicule her, and push her around like a rag doll. No matter how much bluster and confidence she tried to put up, they'd break that down pretty quickly. They were <em>furious </em>that she was taking Umi's attention away from them, even if she had never seen Umi looking their way with anything other than a cursory glance. None of them were interested in listening to logic, though.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It got worse than just the after class bullying, though. They began to follow her around campus and harass her when no one was paying attention. There were days when she couldn't even get a moment's peace with them calling her horrid names. Worse, at least one of them somehow followed her to her dorm, which meant they knew where she was living. She didn't find that out until she left for class one morning and found 'SLUT' written in large, red letters across her door.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Being late for class because she had to wash away the hurtful words scrawled across her door was bad enough. Having the words there in the first place hurt more. She <em>knew </em>that she wasn't a slut: that wasn't the problem. The problem was being harassed constantly, to the point where she came to expect being accosted by those girls wherever she went. It had begun to wreak havoc on her mentally and emotionally.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>After over two weeks of constant torment, she finally found herself breaking down. As much as she didn't want to give in to them, she couldn't take the abuse anymore. Her head was constantly hurting from being shoved against the wall, and she was tired of washing off all the slurs scribbled on her door. It was too much for her poor self to take. She didn't say it out loud, but she didn't have to: they had won.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Instead of staying behind to talk to Umi, she would have her stuff packed up with time to spare. As soon as they were allowed to leave, she was out of her chair and rushing for the door. She didn't even look behind her at Umi, not wanting to feel any more guilt than she already did. It would have been fair to let Umi know what was going on, but she couldn't take another day of those girls bullying her. Besides, if she told Umi, then the board would have to get involved, and it would embroil her in a whole mess of trouble. She couldn't risk that.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>So once again, she tried her best to carry her burdens by herself for as long as she could. At least they stopped harassing her once they saw she wasn't talking to Umi anymore, but that just led to another bout of sorrow. Not speaking with Umi made her feel empty inside. There was something missing: a hole in her heart that nothing else could fill. Every time she would be in class, she'd glance up at Umi, desperate to return to how things were. Then she'd feel the stares of those girls boring into the back of her head, and she'd look back down at her desk.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>For once, she didn't completely break down and admit to Nozomi everything that was going wrong in her life. She was willing to ride out her sorrows until she imploded, but she wasn't given that chance. After a week of doing everything she could to ignore her instincts to speak with Umi, Nozomi invited her over for a 'chat'. When she got there, it became very clear just what that 'chat' was going to be about.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Is something going on, Maki?" There was no teasing for once. Nozomi just looked at her with a concerned expression: one that made her feel guilt churning in the pit of her stomach.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"What do you mean?" She tried to play it cool, but Nozomi wasn't buying it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I heard from Elicchi that Umi's concerned about you. You've been running out of class without talking to her for over a week. What's going on?" She was so used to Nozomi's teasing, happy-go-lucky attitude that seeing her look so concerned made it impossible to hide the truth. It wasn't as if she was good at keeping things from her anyway, but this was just unfair.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Nothing's going on," she mumbled unconvincingly. There was no one on the planet she would be able to fool with a tone like that, and Nozomi wasn't just anyone. She frowned deeply, poking Maki's cheek with a finger. "Hey, quit it..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Not until you tell me what's going on." She stared at Nozomi, silently hoping that she would let it go. No dice: Nozomi stared right back at her, her expression not changing one bit. At that point, Maki couldn't stop her emotions from finally bubbling to the surface. Seeing tears forming in the corners of her eyes caught Nozomi's attention instantly. "Maki? What's wrong?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'm sorry," she whimpered, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. It was too late to stop herself, and quickly she was silently crying on the couch. Nozomi immediately pulled her into her arms, holding her tightly. "I didn't... I didn't want to ignore her. I... I love her..." Her crying started to gain some volume, and soon she was openly sobbing against Nozomi's shoulder.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Instead of prying for information, Nozomi just held her close, letting her cry out all her tears before she tried to figure out what was going on. It was appreciated, as Maki had a lot of tears to cry. She'd done a bit of crying when she was lying in bed alone at night, but she mostly went about her day with a lot of repression. Now that she was within the company of her closest confidant, she wasn't able to hide it anymore.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki, please tell me what's going on." Once Maki's sobs had faded away, and her body was just shuddering against Nozomi's, she was able to try and figure out what was going on again. "Let me help you."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I don't know what to do, Nozomi," Maki whimpered, sniffling against Nozomi's shoulder. She slowly sat back up, knowing that she looked a right mess. "There are... three girls in my class who like Umi as well, and they were mad that I was monopolizing her attention. They... They've been bullying me until I stopped talking to Umi. I'm sorry, I just couldn't take it anymore. I'm sorry..." She was saying it to Nozomi, but really, she was apologizing to Umi.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You're being bullied?" Nozomi tensed up as she held Maki close. Hearing that gave her flashbacks to grade school, when Maki admitted to her that she was bullied pretty regularly for being different than the other kids. That had been tough to hear, and she'd done all she could back then to make Maki feel better. She had hoped that the more freeing atmosphere of university would give Maki room to grow, but it seemed like deja vu all over again.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"They attack me after class, and they've been following me all over campus... Writing hateful things on my door..." Maki felt safe against Nozomi's shoulder. If she kept herself shrouded in the darkness, maybe she could pretend that the entirety of this semester hadn't happened. No one would believe her, anyway: it was too fantastical to be truthful. "I can't take it anymore, Nozomi. I just can't..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Have you told Umi?" </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Of course not." Maki wiped at her eyes, her body still shuddering from the occasional sob that rendered her work useless. "If I tell her, she's going to have to report those girls, and then they're going to say that I've been having a relationship with Umi."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"But they don't know that you are."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It doesn't matter! If they even bring it up as a possibility, we'll both be investigated. If they somehow find out, it's all over." She moved away from Nozomi, flopping down on her back and sighing deeply. "Why did I have to fall for my professor, Nozomi? Why am I so Gods damn stupid?" She pressed her hands against her face and began to cry again.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You're not stupid, Maki." She let out a groan as Nozomi flopped down on top of her, making herself comfortable on her best friend. "You can't help who you fall for, just like how I couldn't help but fall for Elicchi. We shouldn't be ashamed of who we like, and we shouldn't let others dictate how much time we spend with them either."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I know, I know..." Of course she knew. It was logical, and it was sad that it was coming from Nozomi of all people. That didn't mean there was anything she could do about it, though. "I'm tired of being bullied, Nozomi. I just can't take it..." The two of them laid there in silence for a couple minutes, with Nozomi lost in thought and Maki just trying to forget that she was living the life she led.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Remember how much courage you had to work up to tell Umi what you wanted?" Nozomi's voice caught her off guard, but she eventually nodded. It was hard to forget how much time she had spent losing her mind over the situation she'd gotten herself into. "You can't just give up what you finally got just because of these bitches. You gotta stand up to them!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I tried that, and they beat me up," Maki replied dryly.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Then I'm going to figure something out." If that had come from anyone but Nozomi, Maki would've just nodded and dismissed it out of hand. However, when it came to Nozomi, she always seemed to get things done that she thought impossible. She was right, of course: she had worked so hard just to get to where she was now, and she was going to let it all trickle away.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I don't want you to get in trouble because of me, Nozomi."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Ah ah, that doesn't matter to me, Maki. You're my friend, and I can't stand to hear that you're being bullied. I will figure something out, and you best believe that." Well, there wasn't much she could say in response now. When Nozomi's mind was made up, it was hard to change it without a proper argument. She didn't have one of those. Shaking her head, she pressed her forehead to Nozomi's and closed her eyes.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Gods, I don't deserve a friend like you..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Aww c'mon, don't say that." She leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on Maki's forehead, then sat back up. "You deserve happiness, Maki. If I can find a way to give that to you, then you deserve to have me as a friend. You also deserve to have Umi in your life if you like her like you say you do, and I believe that you do. Don't give up on what you want, and don't let those jerks take her away from you. I promise you, I will figure something out, and you won't have anything to worry about."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Thank you, Nozomi." Once again, tears fell from Maki's eyes, but they weren't full of sadness this time. Instead, she cried because she didn't know how she had gotten a friend as good as Nozomi. Despite all the teasing, and the know-it-all behavior, she was the best friend anyone could ever have. "I'll apologize to her next time I see her, and I'll... I'll tell her what's going on. She deserves to hear it from me."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Good girl!" Nozomi ruffled her hair, which made her scowl and duck away from her. That was more normal behavior between the two of them. "And really, I do promise you that I'll figure something out. As long as I'm here, they won't be bullying you anymore." The way she spoke so confidently, Maki believed her. She rested her head back against Nozomi's shoulder, sighing softly as she leaned into her best friend's warm embrace.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Thank you..."</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. What Happens in the Classroom...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Maki swallows her fears in order to apologize to Umi for ignoring her. Everything comes to light, while a few things end up in darkness.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>That night, she struggled to fall asleep. She kept thinking about apologizing to Umi for ignoring her, and admitting why she had been doing so. Knowing the can of worms she was going to open made her nauseous, and she just wanted to hide in bed and forget about it. She couldn't do that, though. Not only did Umi deserve to know what was going on, but she couldn't stand how long it had been without having had a conversation with her favorite professor. Over a week was too long in her book.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Trusting that Nozomi could actually do something about her bullies, she focused on how she was going to apologize to Umi. She was still scared that speaking with Umi after class would rouse the dogs of hell that were her classmates, so she figured that she would go to one of Umi's classes later in the day. After Umi had told her once about her teaching schedule, she'd made sure to jot it down just in case. It was going to come in handy now.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>There was one other teensy little thing that she didn't really want to mention: she was horny as all hell. After spending several weekends in Umi's bed, going without her even for one weekend made her feel deprived. She also hadn't been masturbating due to having a bit more to worry about than her own pleasure. Now that her mind had begun to calm down, she remembered just what she had been missing, and what she had been trying to accomplish in the first place.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>There were two things on her mind now: apologizing for ignoring Umi, and wanting to fuck Umi until she couldn't stand. Perhaps there was a way to accomplish both. After talking a couple more times with Nozomi to make sure everything was going to be alright, she prepared her apology outfit. Then, as ready as she ever would be, she set off to meet Umi after one of her classes.</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>'Lookin' fine as hell, Maki!' </em>She had sent Nozomi a selfie just to make sure she looked good enough for what she was going to do. It was a silly notion: she already had proof that Umi liked her, both for her looks and for her personality. There wasn't anything she needed to change, but she was still overly nervous. In all likelihood, she was letting her fear of those bullies seep into her other thoughts, making her feel things that weren't necessary.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Walking across campus, she was inundated with texts from Nozomi: ones where she was giving her confidence boosters or just spamming her with emojis and cat pictures. She couldn't help but smile, shaking her head fondly. Nozomi really was something, wasn't she? All those distractions got her to the building without her really noticing, and it was only when she was standing outside Umi's classroom that she really realized what she was about to do.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She tried to act nonchalant as students filed out of the room. Some of them looked in her direction, but they all kept walking without a second glance or a word towards her. Several of their gazes lingered on her breasts, which made her scowl. There was only one woman she wanted staring at her breasts, and it certainly wasn't anyone her own age. She wasn't even wearing anything risque, dammit! At least, not on the outside.</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>'Good luck, moy pomidor!' </em>She decided it best not to ask what Nozomi was saying in Russian. Taking a deep breath, she took a look through the little window in the door. She couldn't see any other students inside, so she pushed the door open slightly for a better look. All she could see was Umi, standing behind her desk and sorting some papers. Now was her chance.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Uhm, Professor Sonoda?" She slipped into the classroom, letting the door close behind her. Umi turned to look at her, her eyes widening when she realized who it was.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki? I didn't expect to see you today." She had a look of concern on her face as Maki walked over to her desk. "I've been worried about you, by the way. You haven't been looking at me for over a week now. I hope I haven't done anything to hurt you-" Her words were cut off as Maki stood in front of her, cupping her cheeks and pulling her in for a long, loving kiss.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'm sorry for ignoring you, Umi, and I'm sorry that I worried you. There were... things that were going on, that I was struggling to handle on my own." She had never shown any displays of intimacy with Umi in the classroom before. Hell, she always called her Professor Sonoda: never Umi. This was an important moment, though. She let herself slip into that more casual mode, at least this once.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"What was it that you were struggling with, exactly?" A light blush had appeared on Umi's cheeks at the casual affection that Maki had just shown her, in class of all places. They had both agreed that wasn't a good idea, and she still felt that was the case. However, the fact that Maki had been struggling with something was more important to her than chiding her for being so risky.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Several girls in my class have been bullying me." She cringed at how she sounded saying that: like she was some child tattling to the teacher about kids being mean to her. That wasn't how she had wanted to be, which was why she'd never gone to an authority figure about what she'd gone through in the past. This was different, though: it was actively affecting her relationship with the authority figure she needed to tell. "Because I've been talking to you."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Really?" Umi's eyes widened, clearly having not been expecting to hear that. Maki didn't give her much of a chance to think much on it, though. She leaned in for another kiss, refusing to yield until Umi finally kissed her back. "Maki-" Umi muttered, barely getting a word in edgewise when she was being kissed so thoroughly. "I... have to..." She finally pushed away from her student, reluctant as she seemed to be. "I have to tell someone about this. You don't deserve to be bullied for any reason."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Please..." Maki started to pout, practically throwing herself at her professor. "If you tell someone, then they'll say that we're having a relationship. They don't know anything explicit, but they'll say it anyway. Any suspicion cast on us will only hurt us." She was begging with her eyes for Umi to not go to the higher-ups with what she knew. Now that she had the woman of her dreams, she couldn't risk anything taking her away.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki..." Umi frowned deeply. It was clear that she didn't want to keep that a secret. Both of them agreed that making sure no one knew what they were doing together was paramount, but this didn't truly feel like part of the deal. Knowing that one of her students was being bullied didn't sit well with her, but she also didn't want to go against Maki's wishes. As much as it pained her, she reluctantly nodded in assent.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Thank you." A few tears fell from her eyes, which she didn't bother to wipe away. She pressed herself as close as she could to Umi, whispering desperately. "Please fuck me, Umi. I want to feel good, and you're the only one who can make me feel that way." In the back of her mind, she could hear the pathetic desperation in her voice, but she couldn't stop herself. This was what she wanted, and Umi truly was the only who could give it to her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She could see the hesitation battling in Umi's eyes. It made her feel guilty, but that only made her want it more. She wanted anything that would empty her mind of everything she had been dealing with for the last few weeks. If she could just stop crying, then maybe Umi wouldn't feel as bad as she appeared to be. To try and grease the wheels a bit, she started to kiss Umi again, reaching around to squeeze her ass through her skirt.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Against her better judgement, Umi finally, truly acquiesced. She kissed Maki back, trying to push her worries out of her mind. Holding Maki close, she broke away from her lips to whisper in her ear. "How do you want me to fuck you?" Those words sent shivers down Maki's spine. It made her press her body as close as possible to Umi's, her panties growing damp.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She pulled herself away from Umi, turning to face her desk. Grabbing the papers that were in the middle of the desk, she carefully moved them to the side in order to place her palms flat on the surface. "Flip my skirt up," she whispered, wiggling her ass enticingly. She had always been more of a jeans kind of girl, but she had decided to wear a skirt that day. It felt like she could act a little bit sexier in something more freeing. Hopefully Umi felt the same way.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Wiggling her butt a bit more, she felt a surge of satisfaction when Umi flipped up her skirt. She heard a quiet gasp from behind her, which let her know that Umi had seen the red thong she was wearing. To be perfectly honest, she had never understood the purpose of a thong. It certainly didn't cover anything, so was there a point to wearing one for any other reason than to show off one's ass? Well, that time had certainly come for her, so she had unearthed the lone thong she owned and put it to work.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Umi put her hands on Maki's ass, massaging it as she stared down at her student's cute cheeks. Maki continued to shake her ass for her teacher, wanting to keep enticing her to do more than just touch her. As nice as that was, she was in the mood for more. "Will you-" She almost choked on her words, feeling a sudden sense of embarrassment. Wiping a few errant tears from her eyes, she refused to be cowed by her own sense of shame. She pressed on. "Will you spank me, Professor?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She didn't hear anything from behind her, which worried her. However, that worry went away when she felt Umi's hand come down on her ass. She let out a yelp, jolting forward against the desk. Her breasts were pressing down on the wood as she was spanked again, and she cried out happily. It was a beautiful mixture of pain and pleasure: one she had not expected to enjoy before. Her worries and bullying-based misery kept getting smaller and smaller each time her ass got smacked.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>When Umi's fingers pulled the thin material of her thong to the side and slid inside her, her worries were completely gone. Her mind only had room for Umi, and what she was doing to her. She lifted up a hand to muffle herself, barely remembering that she was in a place that she definitely didn't want anyone to hear what they were doing. Forget her dorm: the classroom was the last place she should be having sex.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Despite muffling herself, she couldn't keep all of the noise from leaking out. Umi's fingers just felt too good, working their way in and out of her pussy. As soaked as she was, it was easy for Umi to get inside her, fingerfucking her stupid. Her mind was being emptied of everything except for how good she felt in that moment. This was what she had wanted. She didn't want to think about how wrong what they were doing was. She didn't want to think about being bullied for even <em>talking </em>to Umi. All she wanted was to be fucked until she couldn't see straight.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Her hips bucked back against Umi's fingers as they worked their way inside her. She shuddered when Umi's thumb pressed against her clit, rubbing the little nub hard. Leaking out from between her fingers, she whimpered out Umi's name, mixing between calling her by her name and by her title. Calling her by her name was super intimate, but calling her by her title was super arousing. It was hard to choose between the two.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Professor..." She could feel her juices making a mess of her thong and her thighs. It was still incredible to feel her masturbatory fantasies actually coming to life. Never would she have expected either of them to agree to what they were doing now. Even with the door locked, fucking in the classroom was incredibly risky. She just happened to be in a mood where she wanted to be risky. "I'm about to cum, Professor!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Cum for me, then, Maki." Umi's fingers pumped faster in and out of her pussy, her thumb going to town on her clit. She had to press her hand hard against her mouth to avoid screaming to her heart's content. "Show me how good this feels for you." Gods, the way Umi talked to her... That by itself might be enough to make her cream her underwear, but the added movement of her fingers was a nice bonus.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Umi!" Her entire body shook as she came, Umi's voice echoing in her mind. Using only one hand to keep herself upright wasn't enough, and she fell face-first onto the desk. Somehow she didn't scatter any papers as she moaned into the wood beneath her. She just kept her palms flat against the desk, next to different stacks of papers and Umi's computer. All of that might as well not have existed, however. To her, all that was important was the woman behind her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Leaning over her, Umi coaxed her along through her orgasm. She whispered sweet nothings above her, slipping her fingers out of her pussy to let them drift up and down her slit. Her mind wasn't quite as gone as Maki's was, so she was aware of all the sounds they were making. She kept glancing at the door, hoping to the Gods above that nobody knocked and asked what was going on.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Once she came down from her orgasm, Maki's entire body felt like jelly. She slumped against the desk, letting out quiet whimpers as the world swam around her. The desk that she sat in during class kept spinning and blending in with all the others around it. It was a weird sensation, but it was a good one. Not having to think about any of her problems in that moment was the best thing for her psyche. Who needed to be stressed when they had just had a terrific orgasm?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Umi stepped away from her, licking her fingers clean of her juices. Hearing the signature 'pop' of Umi's fingers coming out of her mouth nearly sent Maki down to the floor. It would have been nice to just lie on her back and let herself become one with the room, but she kept herself upright as best she could. Her legs were shaking enough that it was a tough task, but she did her best.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Leaning against the whiteboard, Umi gave Maki a couple moments to calm down from what they had done. Then she pushed off the wall and helped Maki up onto her feet. Holding her close, she wrapped her arms around Maki's stomach and started kissing her cheeks and neck. Maki whimpered appreciatively, tilting her head to give Umi more skin to kiss.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki, are you sure you don't want me to let someone know about your bullies?" Even while she was peppering Maki's neck with kisses, Umi had to bring up what Maki was trying to forget. She frowned, though she didn't stop Umi from touching her. "We can deal with them without having to worry about our secret being discovered."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I don't want to risk it," Maki reasoned, saying that as she stood in Umi's classroom with quim staining her thighs. At least her skirt had fluttered down to cover the evidence, but nothing was hiding how close the two of them were, or the kisses Umi was planting on her neck. "They're not worth it. I'll figure something out." She didn't know <em>what </em>to do, of course. All she could do was hope that Nozomi actually had a plan and could come through with it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Umi didn't seem to like that reasoning. She held Maki even closer, gently rocking her in her arms as she kissed the top of your head. "Maki, you don't understand how hard it is for me to accept that. I care about you, so very much. To know you're being bullied doesn't sit well with me."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You do?" Maki's eyes widened when she heard Umi say that she cared about her. She could feel herself melting into Umi's embrace, letting out a quiet giggle when she kissed the top of her head. It was somewhat amusing that how much Umi cared about her well-being in the wake of her bullying issues made her forget that she had them in the first place. She really was hopeless, wasn't she?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Of course. I care about every one of my students." She turned Maki around to face her, softly kissing her lips. From that position, she could see just how giddy she had made her young lover, which made her blush slightly. "It's just that I care about you more than my usual students. More than I should," she had to add, as they both knew the high stakes game they were playing.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I feel the same way," Maki murmured dreamily, trying to deepen their current kiss. "That's why I don't want you to tell anyone what they did. I care about you too much to do anything that might make me lose you." Her entire body felt way too warm for her own good. Umi really did care about her. It made her instantly regret spending that week trying to keep distance from her professor. Any amount of bullying was worth getting to secretly slip into the arms of the mature Professor Sonoda. "You're all I can think about, Professor. Even when I was trying to distance myself from you... Even before I admitted the truth to you, when I was trying to think of anything <em>but </em>you... There was nothing I could do to keep you off my mind."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki..." The blush on Umi's face grew as Maki bared her soul to her. She'd seen all Maki had to offer physically, but this was more than that. This was the side of Maki that kept the two of them drawn together, and it left her without the heart to tell anyone about the bullying issues like she wanted to. If she didn't want her to say anything, how could she do otherwise? "You know how I feel about keeping quiet about such things..." It was a last ditch effort to try and turn the tide, but in that moment she knew it would be in vain.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I know," Maki whispered, reaching down to slide her skirt off her body. Umi noticed something was happening, and her eyes drifted down to see Maki standing there in just a polo shirt and a thong. It was hard to be intelligent with a sexy young lady standing there in her arms like that. "I never wanted to put you in that position." She slipped out of Umi's arms, only to pull her shirt off and drop it on the ground. Grabbing her breasts, she smiled as she squeezed them through her bra. "There are so many other positions I would rather put you in..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Umi sucked in a breath, hardly believing that such words had come out of Maki's mouth. Maybe she should have been less shocked, since the two of them <em>had </em>been having sex for some weeks now. Still, it was hard to think of the bright-eyed, studious student sitting in the front row as the same girl standing before her in just her underwear, doing everything but begging to be fucked again and again, right there in the classroom. It would definitely be hard for her to say no to that.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Naturally, it would make sense for there to be a knock on the door in that moment. Both of them stared at each other, a thousand thoughts running through their heads. All of them led to one conclusion: they were fucked, thoroughly and utterly. Between being caught with her pants down - literally - and the daze of love and lust she was in, Maki was unfortunately useless in this situation. It was up to Umi to get things in order.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She bent over and grabbed Maki's clothes, then her hand before yanking her over to the supply closet. As quickly as she could, she opened the door, tossed Maki's clothes in there, then shoved her half-naked student inside. "Sorry!" she whispered before closing the door, leaving Maki in complete darkness as she hurried over to the door. A second knock greeted her just as she was able to unlock and open the door.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Professor Kurosawa!" Umi's eyes widened when she saw the straight-laced professor standing at her door. She quickly defaulted to a tight smile, though her heart was pounding so loud that she imagined it could be heard down the hall. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Good afternoon, Professor Sonoda. I wished to speak with you about getting your support for a measure I wish to bring up with the board." Dia Kurosawa: a professor of advanced business techniques. She'd grown up in the world of business, but had decided to join the ranks of academia in order to teach bright young minds how to succeed in the same way her family had. She was also somehow <em>more </em>of a stickler for the rules than Umi was. It was always black and white with her: if you do good, you get praised. If you do bad, you get punished. Somehow, she had a feeling that was part of the idea she was about to pitch.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Alright. Please come in." Unfortunately, she knew better than to try and dissuade Dia from entering. Her previous class had already left, and she was sure that Dia knew that. It would explain her 'impeccable' timing. She couldn't help but frown as Dia showed herself in with a 'thank you', walking over towards the other side of Umi's desk. Umi followed her, glancing down at the floor where she and Maki had previously stood, doing things no teacher should do with her student. Hopefully none of Maki's juices were visible.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Meanwhile, in the storage closet, Maki stood in the dark partially dazed. Lust clouded her brain, but she could still hear conversation going on in the classroom. A professor named Kurosawa had come in to speak to Umi, though she didn't know what it was about. Unfortunately, Umi had let her in, leaving her to stand there half-naked until whatever they were talking about was done. There was no telling how long that would take.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>With an unknown amount of time on her hands, and arousal still coursing through her body, Maki was feeling riskier than usual. Coming into the classroom to tearfully seduce her professor apparently wasn't risky enough: she had to think of masturbating while <em>another </em>professor was in the room. To be fair, she was horny as hell, and she couldn't stop thinking about Umi telling her how much she cared about her. She really <em>did </em>care, and that was enough to get her wet. If only there was some praise to join in...</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>'You're so good at following instructions, Maki.' </em>She almost gasped loudly at how realistic Umi's voice sounded in her head. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn that Umi had actually said it from right outside the door. However, when she listened intently, she could still hear Umi speaking with Professor Kurosawa about some sort of change to the school's policy on punishment. That had been so realistic, though...</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>'Don't things feel different in the dark? You have to rely on your other senses for your pleasure.' </em>Maki shuddered, still feeling as if Umi was whispering in her ear. Her arousal had now become too much to bear, so she removed her underwear and gently lowered herself to the floor. Sitting down, she spread her legs wide and started to finger herself. She was still soaked from having Umi finger her previously, so her own slim digits had no problem gliding their way inside.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Being quiet had been important before, but now it was paramount. Fumbling around in the dark, she ran her free hand along the ground until she found her shirt, which she used to bite down on and muffle her moans. She could hear the 'schlicking' sound of her fingers going in and out of her sopping-wet cunt, and she felt a sense of worry that would be the thing to get her caught. Unfortunately, she was way too horny to stop what she was doing. She was feeling greedy: she <em>needed</em> another orgasm.</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>'In the dark, you can really feel my hands upon your skin.' </em>She bit down hard on her shirt, swearing that she felt Umi's hands gliding across her nearly-naked body. There was a ghosting across her stomach, up to her breasts. Whimpering into the fabric, Maki laid down on her back, grunting as her head landed on something hard. It felt like a small stack of textbooks. She twisted herself so that she could lie down on the flat ground, lifting her legs up and spreading them wide. Pressing the soles of her sneakers against the door frame, she furiously plunged her fingers as deep inside herself as she could manage.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It took every ounce of self control she had not to drop the shirt from her mouth and moan as loud as she could. She was leaving nothing on the table, pumping her fingers in and out of her pussy as hard as she could. Her ears were filled with the squelching sound of her juices dripping around her fingers, down her ass as she fucked herself senseless. Though her eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness, the silhouettes she could see were spinning back and forth, all around in unyielding circles.</p>
</div><div>
  <p><em>'You have such a tight pussy, Maki. It feels so good to put my fingers inside you.' </em>She bucked her hips up, forcing her fingers in deep. The voices of the professors outside were barely audible: just the buzzing of a fly on the wall in her mind. They might as well have not existed, since to her, Umi wasn't out there anymore. She was in the closet with her, bringing her to another powerful orgasm. The praises she imagined her saying were all she needed to hear.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Umi..." She murmured her professor's name into the fabric of her shirt, panting heavily. It was incredibly difficulty to keep herself quiet, so the best she could hope for were fervent whispers. As long as the two of them were engrossed in conversation, neither of them would notice any sounds coming from the storage closet. Hell, as far as Professor Kurosawa could guess, it might just be the creaking of the floor.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Her orgasm was getting closer: she could feel it deep inside her core. Wiggling her thumb, she pressed it right against her clit, having to do everything she could to not cry out in absolute pleasure. She rubbed against her clit, having to cover her entire face with her shirt to find some way to keep herself quiet. There was nothing but pleasure inside the closet. It was all so unbelievably warm: she could feel a thin sheen of sweat covering her body. She couldn't stop: she wanted to <em>scream </em>out her pleasure for everyone to hear.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki?" She could hear Umi's voice again, clearer than before. Light was flooding her vision, and she squeezed her eyes shut to block it out. It was too bright... How was she supposed to keep quiet? It was so difficult. She had to try, though: for Umi, and for herself as well. "Uh, Maki?" Why did Umi sound so confused? That wasn't how she had been imagining it. Still, it took something tapping her spread legs for her to finally open her eyes.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Umi was standing in the doorway, looking down at her with a curious gaze. It took a few more seconds, but she finally realized what was going on. Professor Kurosawa must have finally left, giving Umi the chance to let her out. She opened the door, only to find her student with wide spread legs and her fingers plowing her pussy like there was no tomorrow. It was a rather compromising position, to say the least.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"U-Umi!" Maki's face flared up in embarrassment. She dropped her legs and squeezed them together, covering up her crotch. There was no point in doing that, as she'd already bared everything to her professor. It was just <em>how </em>she had been found that had her tripping over her own words. "I-I thought you were talking with Professor Kurosawa!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I was, but she left." A flicker of amusement crossed Umi's face, making Maki even more embarrassed. She covered her breasts as well, whimpering as her shirt laid uselessly against her stomach. "I see that you couldn't wait for me to finish my conversation." She hovered over Maki, her eyes perusing her body. It made Maki feel as if she was on trial, and her body warmed up considerably at the thought.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I-I'm sorry," she muttered, turning away from Umi. "I was too... t-too horny." Somehow, she found a way to feel <em>more </em>embarrassed. She didn't like how the word 'horny' sounded coming off her lips. It was weird, but it was the correct way to describe herself. What was hornier than being naked, legs spread and fingerfucking one's self in a teacher's storage closet? "I couldn't wait any longer."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I can tell." Chuckling, Umi got on her knees next to Maki, placing a hand on her stomach. Maki shuddered involuntarily. "Don't let me stop you," she whispered in that deep, soothing voice of hers. "If you're close, why don't you finish before we get out of here?" That was an invitation if she'd ever heard one. Nodding, Maki let her body relax and spread out, her fingers slipping back into her pussy.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Thank you for being quiet in here, Maki. I apologize for pushing you in here without warning, but I couldn't let Professor Kurosawa discover you." Maki gasped out, nodding quickly as her fingers brushed against her walls. It didn't matter at that point what Umi's reasoning was, though she knew it was all in the name of keeping their affair secret. She just latched onto Umi thanking for her being a good, quiet girl. That was all she needed.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It's okay," she gasped out, bucking against her fingers. "I understand- Mmff!!" She bit down on her lip, pushing her thumb against her clit. After a temporary reprieve due to Umi's sudden appearance, she was right back to where she'd been before: right at the edge of an orgasm. She wanted it so Gods damn badly. "Cumming... I'm gonna... I'm gonna cum, Professor!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Cum for me, Maki," Umi whispered, her silken voice drifting lovingly into Maki's ear. She ran her hand over Maki's breasts, pulling down her bra to brush her palm across her sensitive nipples. "I want you to feel the pleasure you desire coursing through your veins. It's just you and me now. Give in to your desires for me." Gods, everything Umi said sounded so poetic. She couldn't hold back any longer.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Mmmff!!!" She bit down hard enough on her lip to nearly break the skin, her body thrashing on the floor as she came all over her fingers. It was a powerful enough orgasm that her juices gushed all over, dripping down her thighs and making a small puddle on the floor between her legs. She kept writhing around, letting out strangled cries of Umi's name. The only thing she could focus on was how good she felt in that moment.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She ended up as a mess of a human being on the closet floor, panting heavily as Umi's hand gently stroked her sweaty body. It felt like her heart was going to break free of her chest, though whether that would kill her first or hyperventilation was anyone's guess. The world was spinning, as it often did whenever Umi was involved. She was barely able to roll onto her side, wondering if she was going to throw up or pass out. Neither of those seemed appropriate for her current location.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Umi helped her sit back up, cradling her in her arms and rocking her soothingly. She leaned into Umi's body, wanting to be as close as she could to her. Eyes closed, she strongly considered falling asleep, but the logical part of her brain spoke up in that moment. That was not the place to be sleeping, not even if it was just a regular class.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Let's get you dressed." Umi started to round up Maki's clothes, grabbing for them while still keeping Maki against her warm chest. "Will you be able to get back to your dorm alright?" Maki nodded, a touch embarrassed that she had fucked herself to a point where Umi had to worry that she couldn't get back to her dorm without collapsing or something.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"But..." She bit her lip, refusing to take her clothes when Umi offered them to her. "What about you?" It wasn't fair that she had cum twice while Umi hadn't garnered any satisfaction. That didn't sit right with her, no matter how tired she was. She would just have to find some energy reserves deep within her in order to satisfy her professor.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'll be fine." Umi made sure to reassure her, kissing all over her skin in ways that made her swoon. This time, when Umi handed her clothes back, she reluctantly took them. "I think I can hold on until you come over this weekend. Unless you no longer want to?" There was a moment of worry mixed with the embarrassment in Umi's eyes that Maki caught before it disappeared. She hadn't even thought about how her sidestepping Umi might affect her. It had always just seemed logical that she needed her professor so much more than her professor needed her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Of course I do!" Using the little energy she had left, she threw herself at Umi, kissing her as deeply as she could. "I felt <em>terrible </em>not getting to see you last weekend. It was just..." She shook her head, not wanting to reiterate her problems with her bullies. As long as she still had Umi with her, she was going to be okay. She wouldn't let them take the main source of her happiness away from her. "I want to see you this weekend, Umi. I would see you every day, every <em>hour </em>if I could." Gods, she had it bad, didn't she?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Alright, Maki, alright, I believe you." Umi smiled warmly at her, holding her tightly as they shared a slower, more passionate kiss. "You really <em>should </em>head for your next class, though. Sometimes Professor Kurosawa returns when another idea strikes her mind, and she has a lot of those." She chuckled dryly, apparently having had more than one of those 'idea sessions' with her fellow professor. "I will see you during our next class, alright?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yes, Professor. I will see you then." Unable to stop smiling, Maki wiped away the last stray tears from her eyes and waved goodbye, heading for the door. She looked through the little window to see if anyone was passing by. A couple students crossed her sight, and she ducked back until they disappeared. Then she opened the door and headed out into the hall.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She walked down the hall with a stupid, giddy grin plastered on her face. Umi's caring words echoed in her brain, and she could remember each word verbatim. There had been so many trials and tribulations just to get to the point where she could <em>speak </em>her truth to Umi, much less continue from there to where they were now. The fact that they were still in some sort of a relationship meant the world to her. Those bullies could take a long walk off of the shortest pier they could find: she didn't care one damn bit. She had an honest-to-goodness relationship with her professor: the one that she had been crushing on for <em>months</em>. That's all that mattered now.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It made her feel like humming, but she was <em>not </em>going to look a fool in public. She would hum in the privacy of her shower, like a sensible person.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. The Burdens of the SFOJ</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Umi shares her troubles with the only person she can trust: Eli. Eli's advice is always a 'take it or leave it' kinda deal.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Umi sat in the teacher's lounge, a cup of coffee in her hand. She stared into the bitter blackness, worry evident in her eyes. Thankfully, the only other teacher in the room was Eli. She didn't want any of the other professors to come over and ask her what the matter was. While their concern would be appreciated, this was something she couldn't tell any of them. Except, of course, for Eli.</p><p></p><div>
  <p>"Something troubling ya, Umi?" Eli was at the sink, mixing drinks that she kept hidden behind the cleaning supplies in the cabinets. While plenty of her fellow professors joked about needing a drink after dealing with their students, Eli was the only one she knew who actually <em>did </em>do her fair share of day drinking. It was something she certainly didn't approve of, but she hadn't approved of hearing that she was fornicating with one of her students either. Look where she had ended up now... Maybe she ought to mix in some harder stuff as well.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'm sure you already know what's troubling me," Umi muttered, taking a long swig of her coffee before setting it down and heading over towards Eli. She watched with a disapproving stare as Eli unscrewed the cap on a bottle of vodka and poured a generous amount into a cup of what looked like orange juice. "Feeling homesick?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"There's no better time for vodka than the present," Eli responded cheerfully, putting the cap back on before swirling the mixture around with a spoon. It reminded Umi of when Eli had her try vodka for the first time at university. She had downed a shot that Eli prepared for her and almost immediately vomited it back up. That kind of stuff never did sit right with her stomach. "So, having tomato troubles?" That had become a code name of sorts that Eli adopted. From what Umi had learned about the student that Eli was screwing, it sounded like something that came from them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"When am I not?" she sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. Of course, Maki herself was never the source of her troubles. Rather, it was the relationship she had with Maki that constantly had her on edge. "She came to my classroom this afternoon..." Her voice dropped a few decibels, just in case anyone came barging into the room. "She told me that some of the girls had been bullying her because of how close they felt she was to me, but she doesn't want me telling the board about it." As much as she wanted to keep what Maki had told her confidential, she felt horrible knowing that she was keeping something so serious inside. At least she knew that nobody besides Eli would find out.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well, that's not good." Eli picked up her cup and took a sip, eyeing Umi over the rim with concern. "So you want to tell the board, but you risk going against the wishes of your student. The one you're specifically in a relationship with now." A light blush came to Umi's cheeks as she nodded. It was weird to hear out loud that she was in a <em>relationship </em>with one of her students, but she couldn't deny the truth in those words. If they weren't, then what in the world would she call the two of them? "Is it because she thinks those girls will rat you two out or something?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yes, but they don't even know the truth of what they're implying." From what Maki had told her, it didn't seem that they actually knew there was anything untowards going on between them. They just didn't want Maki to be near her because they had crushes on her. The thought made Umi sigh: she was used to the occasional longing glance from her students, but she'd refused to entertain any offers. Not until Maki, anyway... "Their accusations would have no legs to stand on."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yeah, but I can see where Maki's coming from. She doesn't want to risk anyone finding out. Nozomi's the same way." She took another swig from her cup, then offered it to Umi, who of course declined it. "I mean yeah, it sucks that she's being bullied, but she's an adult. If she feels that she doesn't want to tell the board, then that's her decision."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"But I'm her <em>professor! </em>It's my job to make sure this sort of thing is not happening in my classroom!" She couldn't believe Eli's cavalier attitude towards such a serious situation! Did that mean she let her own students sort things out on their own? What was the point of there even being teachers, then?! Besides actually <em>teaching </em>them the lessons they paid for... Should she really have expected something more from the woman who stripped down to her underwear and slid down a bowling alley lane on a dare? On her twenty-<em>seventh</em> birthday, no less?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Do you not trust Maki to handle it?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It doesn't matter whether I trust her or not!" She was getting heated, more so by the fact that Eli didn't seem bothered by their argument. She just kept sipping her abomination of an evening drink, having the same nonplussed expression. "Regardless of whether or not I trust her, she is my student, and I have a responsibility to keep her from harm!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Their argument was halted by the door opening. The two of them turned to find Dia walking into the room, looking a bit troubled herself. When she saw them standing there, her eyes widened, and she immediately headed in their direction. Umi held in a groan, wondering what Dia wanted to talk to her about now.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Professor Ayase, Professor Sonoda, may I pick your brains for a moment?" She licked her lips, looking somewhat on edge. It was actually a bit strange to see her like that. Now, <em>angry</em>? That was more of the Dia Kurosawa way. In her full black business pantsuit and three inch heels, her already-tall height made her tower over many of the other professors. Even Eli, who was pretty tall, had to literally look up to her. She always looked annoyed as well, like someone had stolen the hairclips she wore and tossed them down the hall like little boomerangs. Whatever was making her act like this must've shaken her up something fierce.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Sure," Eli replied, setting down her cup and straightening up. Umi had to hide a giggle at the sight of Eli trying to match the younger professor in height. "What's up, Dia?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well..." She bit down on her lip, tapping her heel against the ground. "There's a student in my class. Nice girl, very studious. I had always seen her staring at me, but I didn't think anything of." Umi's eyes widened, wondering if this was going where she thought it was going. "However, after today's class, she asked me..." Her voice dropped so low, the two of them could barely hear her. It was as if she was hiding something extraordinarily scandalous. "... <em>out...</em>"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Eli quirked an eyebrow, then picked up her cup, took a small sip, and dramatically spit it out. "You were asked out by a student?!" It was clear that Eli was teasing, something that she did fairly often. However, poor Dia was always so straight-laced and believed everyone else to be the same way. She nodded seriously, apparently not having picked up on her fellow professor's tone.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yes! She's such a good student too, but I have to report this to the board." Dia looked conflicted, obviously looking to her more tenured professors for advice. Meanwhile, Umi could barely look her in the eye. She shuddered at the thought of what would happen if Dia found out about what she was doing with Maki. There would be no saving either of them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Aww, c'mon Dia, give 'em a break." Eli took a long sip from her cup, Dia being none the wiser about what was inside it. "She just has the hots for you. That's a compliment, if you ask me." She eyed Dia up and down, smirking slightly. "I mean, you are a nice piece of ass, if I do say so myself." Those words automatically made Dia's cheeks flare up, sputtering at Eli's words.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Th-That is <em>very </em>inappropriate, Professor Ayase! A-And that doesn't matter! Regardless of how I may or may not look, a relationship between a teacher and a student is strictly forbidden. No matter how one feels about it, it is not allowed, and I will not tolerate such flaunting of the rules." Umi swallowed thickly, feeling like Dia was staring right through her. She tried to act natural, as acting suspicious would only draw Dia's attention. It was tough when all she could think about was the memories of Maki lying naked in her bed.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You're such a prude, Dia." Setting down her cup, Eli sidled over to Dia, gently massaging her shoulders. "C'mon, it's not that big a deal. All us hotties get hit on by our students from time to time. As long as we tell them no, it's all good, right?" Dia started to noticeably relax under Eli's hands, which was quite a surprise to Umi. She couldn't remember ever seeing Dia less than a hundred percent tense.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"That's... still not..." She sighed deeply, her shoulders slumping. "Alright, fine. I won't report her. As long as she understands that there can be nothing between us, I suppose we can brush this under the rug." Umi couldn't help but cringe at that, remembering she had said the exact same thing to Maki. Look where that had gotten her...</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"See? That wasn't so hard." Eli smiled, patting her on the shoulders. "Now that that's all settled, you want some coffee?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Please." Dia accepted the offer, grabbing her personal mug from the cabinet and heading for the coffee machine. As for Umi, she did not feel quite as calm as her fellow professors were. She was starting to understand why Maki didn't want to risk anything leaking out, even if it meant continuing to be bullied. It was a frustrating spot to be in. She felt compelled to report those girls for what they were doing, but after hearing Dia's rule-breaking rampage, she felt equally unwilling to rock the boat. This was what they meant by being caught between a rock and a hard place, wasn't it?</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She walked away from Eli and Dia, sitting down on the couch and letting out a deep sigh. Life had become so topsy-turvy since Maki had first hit on her. She had gone from a normal professor to one that risked it all every weekend. Then again, she had also gone from a pretty lonely woman to one who could always count on having a starry-eyed girl throwing herself at her with little hesitation. This was not the life she had expected to live when she'd decided to become a teacher.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It was pretty amusing for Eli to have calmed Dia down like she had. The poster woman for 'having sex with your student' telling another professor about how it was okay to be hit on as long as they told their students no. She obviously had never told Nozomi no. Shaking her head, she wondered if this was just how her life had been fated to end up. Then she thought about Maki's warm, loving smile, and she figured it wasn't <em>that </em>bad. It was just against the rules, and morally gray, that's all. </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Can you believe it?" Eli plopped down next to Umi on the couch, whispering as she eyed Dia over by the sink. "Someone actually wanted to have sex with Dia. They must be masochistic as fuck." Umi rolled her eyes, but she couldn't fully deny what Eli was saying. At least when it came to her university appearance, Dia could be hard to handle. It was likely that whichever student was trying to hit on her had no idea what was in store for them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Everybody has different desires." She blushed when Eli looked at her meaningfully, pointedly looking away. "Don't look at me like that. This is your fault, you know?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You're welcome." Eli smirked, patting Umi on the head. "Come on, don't tell me you've ever had anything better than tight student pussy."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I refuse to answer that, you pervert."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You don't have to." The two of them glanced over at Dia, who was sighing with satisfaction after taking a long sip of her coffee. "Hey, maybe if we convince Dia to get with that student of hers, she won't have such a huge stick up her ass anymore. We can even form a club: the Student Fuckers Organization of Japan."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"... I agree with Dia now. We should report you to the board."</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. The Winter of This Content</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>With the snow falling, Maki decides she has one more thing she needs to confess to Umi.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was the winter of Maki's content. She had been in a relationship with Umi for several months now, and life couldn't be better. It was so much easier to focus in class knowing that she could talk with her professor as long as she wanted after they were dismissed. Her trouble with those bullies had also dissipated, courtesy of Nozomi. She didn't know exactly <em>what </em>she had done, because she hadn't divulged any details: she had merely called it an 'early Halloween special'.</p><p></p><div>
  <p>Life just felt so <em>right </em>with Umi in it. She felt like she had something to look forward to whenever she woke up. This was what it must feel like to be in love. She had spoken about it with Nozomi, who had agreed that her feelings had become more than just her looking for sex with her professor. The only question was how she would obtain it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>A light flurry of snow fell around Maki and Umi as the two of them walked through the park. After some coercing, Maki had gotten Umi to agree to spend some time in public together, though they still had their ground rules. They could only talk about school subjects when in earshot of others, and there couldn't be any public displays of affection: not even so much as handholding. Maki completely understood, but she couldn't help but be left wanting. She had everything she thought she had wanted, but selfishly, she wanted more. She wanted to be more involved with Umi, and that meant doing things that she knew they shouldn't do.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"The park looks so beautiful at this time of the year," Umi remarked, looking around at the snow covering the ground. Their shoes displaced some of the snow as they walked, kicking it up as more fell to replace it. It really <em>was </em>beautiful, with the trees being coated in a nice, light white. Maki never minded this time of the year, even when it was really cold. She was fine with bundling up and watching the beauty of nature unfold in front of her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Not as beautiful as you." Her sudden bout of romance had the effect of making them both blush. She immediately fell back into silence, shoving her gloved hands into her jacket pockets. Looking at Umi's hands, she wished that she could grab one of them and hold it. She wanted to walk across the park hand in hand, like a real couple would. The thought made her feel warm enough that she considered removing her jacket, but she had to put the brakes on that. It was easy to forget that they weren't in a relationship like that. Whatever they were was complicated, to say the least.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She wanted to say what was on her mind in that moment. The weather was beautiful, Umi was <em>more </em>beautiful, and it just felt like the right time to come clean. She had done it before, though that had been her admitting that she wanted to have sex with her professor. This was just as awkward as that had been, which was amusing to think about. How could wanting to be someone's girlfriend be as awkward as asking them to have sex? That didn't make any damn sense.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Then again, she'd never expected to <em>be </em>in a relationship. It had been more likely that she'd end up sleeping with someone than actually being in an honest-to-goodness relationship. Because of the profession she had chosen to be in, she would never be able to give herself fully to someone like they deserved. It was something she had convinced herself she didn't want. Now that she had fallen for her professor, things had changed. Walking side by side with her, she wanted to be able to call her more than her professor. She wanted to call her her girlfriend.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Umi?" She knew herself enough to know that if she wanted to say what needed to be said, she would have to talk without giving herself a chance to hesitate. "I love what we get to do together. It makes me happy to wake up and know I have you in my life. It's just... I want <em>more</em>, and I know it's selfish, but..." She faced forward, unable to look Umi in the eye. "I never thought I would want to be in a relationship with someone, but you've changed that. There's so much complexity in trying to decipher what we are, and I don't want that. I want it to be crystal clear. I..." She made herself turn to face Umi, who was staring at her with wide eyes. "I want to be able to call you my girlfriend."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Umi stopped walking, which made Maki halt in her tracks. She tried to read Umi's expression, but it was mostly impassive. There was some embarrassment there, but otherwise she couldn't read her. That tended to be what happened before something negative happened, so she tried to prepare herself for the worst.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki, don't you think we're pushing things far enough with what we're doing?" Umi looked around, making sure no one was sneaking up on them. The coast was clear. "While I enjoy what we do together, I feel there are issues with making things more-" She was going to say <em>'serious'</em>, but with the longing look on Maki's face, she worried that she'd break her heart. "Wouldn't you want someone more suitable for a relationship with you? As a professor, we can't be seen in public being affectionate like normal girlfriends. We couldn't go public on social media with the truth, and besides that, I'm older than you. <em>Much</em> older." Age was just a number and all, but sixteen years was hard to ignore. "I'll be an old lady while you're still in your prime, you know."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I don't mind," Maki insisted, reaching out to grab Umi's hands. Then she remembered they were in public and quickly retracted them. "It doesn't matter to me that you're older, or that you're my professor. If it didn't matter to me when I wanted to have sex with you, why would it matter now?" She did her own look around the park, and when she saw nobody in sight, she finally grabbed Umi's hands, holding them in hers. "Sex isn't just nothing to me, Umi. It means something, and it meant something that you were my first time. I... I want you to be my <em>last</em>." She forced herself to hold eye contact with Umi, her eyes burning with the truth behind her words.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I believe you, Maki. I..." Through their gloves, she could feel heat pooling between their hands. She lost her nerve first, pulling her hands away and leaving Maki holding ghosts. "Let's go somewhere more private to talk about this, please." She hated the hurt look in Maki's eyes, but her student nodded in acquiescence. So the two of them kept walking, and the first 'private' place they found happened to be a ryokan. "Huh..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well, you said you wanted to go somewhere private, right?" Maki knew that the two of them heading into an inn together would look suspicious to anyone who knew who either of them were. This was too important for her to wait until they could get to Umi's house, though. She wanted to talk about this <em>now</em>, and if that meant sharing a room at the ryokan together, then that's what they would do.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I suppose..." Umi sighed, running a hand through her hair. At least it wasn't a love hotel, but people might still get the wrong idea seeing the two of them in there. However, she could tell how determined Maki was: she wasn't going to back down anytime soon. "Alright, but please keep yourself covered until we get to our room." She pulled out her face cover from beneath the collar of her jacket, covering her mouth and nose with it. "We don't want to let anyone see us and come to any detrimental conclusions."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Alright." Maki pulled the brim of her hat down, shading her eyes from view. She was smiling, though. Grabbing Umi's hand, she could hardly believe how confident she was being doing something like that. It wasn't as if she was hurting for confidence, but when it came to anything more than reluctant partnership, she struggled greatly. This was a big step for her, even if it would be child's play for other girls her age.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>What was more surprising was that Umi didn't pull her hand away. She let Maki hold it as they walked to the ryokan, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible. Her heart soared as their arms swung back and forth between them. This was exactly what she wanted: a real deal relationship, where they could do things like that. It was embarrassing to her young, emotionally closed-off self, but there was another part of her that suddenly craved that kind of romance. Perhaps it was the young adult romance novel side of herself that she'd never gotten to experience like other girls had.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They entered the inn, basking in the warmth as snowflakes melted on their coats. Heading over to the front desk, they were greeted by a young woman with bright orange hair. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, wearing a yukata and smiling at them with blindingly-brilliant white teeth. "Good afternoon, ma'ams!" She waved them over, even though they were already walking in her direction. "Are you two looking for a room?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yes," Umi replied, reaching for her card to pay. However, Maki beat her to it, pulling out her wallet and handing over a black credit card to the innkeeper. Both Umi and the innkeeper stared at her impressive-looking card, then at her. Blushing beneath her hat, Maki shoved the card into the innkeeper's hands.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Just take it, alright?!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"A-Alright," she whispered, holding it in awe, like it was some lost artifact. She gently put it through the card scanner, handing it back with as much care as she could. Maki took it back, grumbling with embarrassment at the spectacle it had caused. "Alright, you two have room three. Please enjoy your stay!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Thank you." Umi nodded and let Maki lead her down the hall, holding her hand the entire way. As long as she was able to do this kind of public display, she was going to hold on for dear life. True to her word, she didn't let go of Umi's hand until they reached their room. Then she reluctantly let go so she could unlock the door and let them both inside.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Once they were inside, and Umi had placed a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door, they were finally alone. There were no random passerbys or peeping toms to accidentally stumble upon a personal life they had no business finding out about. Both of them felt nervous now that they could actually talk about what Maki had brought up. Maki found some solace in removing her gloves: at least it was something to do.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Umi..." She put her gloves in her jacket pockets, taking in a deep breath. This wasn't the time to falter. She looked Umi right in the eyes and said everything that she felt needed to be said. "I understand everything you were saying, but it still doesn't change how I feel. You are the one I want to be with, regardless of your profession or age. I'm willing to wait until I graduate for us to be able to be more out with our relationship. To me, you're worth it."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"That's sweet of you to say, Maki. Still, I don't want you to rush into anything without considering the consequences-"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I <em>have </em>considered the consequences, though!" She hadn't meant to interrupt Umi, but she didn't want to hear any more about that. That was something she'd already dealt with while listening to her own thoughts. "I've been thinking about ever since I first started crushing on you. I spent so long telling myself that it wasn't right: that we couldn't be together because we'd both get in trouble. The longer I tried to deny myself you, the worse it got. I have always known that I wanted you, and now that we've spent more time together, I know for a fact that it's you I want. No matter the problems, and no matter the risks: I want to be your girlfriend, Umi."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"There's no dissuading you, is there?" Maki shook her head furiously, knowing that nothing was going to change her mind. She'd already taken enough risks to where even ending things right there wouldn't stop either of them from getting in loads of trouble. To her, there was no going back. She liked- no, she <em>loved </em>Umi, and she was going to fight with everything she had to stay with her. No longer would she shy away from her feelings when it came to her professor. Not when it could cost her everything. "Well, I... I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to it."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Really?" Maki's jaw dropped. That was what she had wanted to hear, but something inside her had made her feel that she would never truly hear it. There it was, though: Umi not dismissing out of hand the chance the two of them could have a real relationship. Well, a relationship that didn't involve them <em>just </em>having sex. Not that the sex wasn't good, of course. It was incredible, in fact-</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yes, really." She could still see some hesitation on Umi's part, but she was smiling now. It was a small smile, but a smile nevertheless. "I can see that there's no talking you out of it. Besides, I wouldn't mind it myself..." She blushed slightly, but she did seem serious. Maki could feel her entire body vibrating with excitement the more words came out of her mouth. "You really are a great girl, Maki, and if you're willing to remain cautious until your graduation, I can see it being worth trying to cultivate a real relationship with you."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"That's all I've wanted for months," Maki whispered, tears starting to form in her eyes. They were joyous tears, though, and she couldn't keep them from falling. So she instead ran forward and enveloped Umi in a tight hug, crying happily on her shoulder. She felt Umi's hands rubbing up and down her back, which made her feel incredibly safe. "I can't believe this is happening," she whispered, sniffling. "It feels like a dream."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Umi just continued to hold her, and the two of them stood there in each other's arms, reveling in the comforting silence that fell over them. If this was a dream, then it was a dream come true. It wasn't going to be easy: Maki wasn't naive enough to believe otherwise. To her, it was worth it. <em>Umi</em> was worth it. To be able to call the professor she had been crushing on for so long her girlfriend was something she knew she would never get tired of. She couldn't wait to tell Nozomi the good news!</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well, now that we've gotten that settled, should we go?" Umi pointed at the door, but Maki shook her head, biting on her lip as she chose her words carefully.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Actually, since we paid for a full night here, with all the amenities..." She started to blush, and she hid her face against Umi's shoulder to try and hide that fact. "I was thinking that maybe we could... you know, enjoy ourselves here." She shouldn't have been so embarrassed, since the two of them had already seen each other naked plenty of times. It was just something that was hard for her to break away from.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Oh! Well, uh..." She sneaked a peek to see Umi was blushing too, so at least she wasn't alone there. "I suppose you <em>did </em>pay for us to stay here, and it would be rude of me to waste your money like that." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, then nodded. "Alright, shall we partake in the amenities this ryokan has to offer?" </p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Just to let everyone know: chapter 14 is officially the end of the story. Chapter 15 will just be a little omake about Nozomi taking care of the bullies. I know people have been wondering if they're going to get their comeuppance, and I never planned on fully showing it, but seeing people mentioning it... I figured I'd write a little extra to show it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The First Day of the Rest of Our Lives</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Now that Umi has agreed to be Maki's girlfriend, the two of them enjoy the amenities the ryokan has to offer. I'm sure what happens is obvious.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well, that's it! The 15th chapter is going to be an omake for Nozomi and the bullies, so this is the official end of UmiMaki's story. Thanks for reading all the way through to y'all who did so, and I appreciate all the comments! Thanks for celebrating my 200th fic with me. See y'all next month, when it's my five years fanfic-writing anniversary.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Despite the hesitation, Umi had agreed that they could spend the night at the ryokan. Maki smiled at the positive turn of events, though on the inside she was repeatedly pumping her fist. Look, she had seen Umi naked before, but there was no way she could get tired of the sight.</p><p></p><div>
  <p>The two of them shed their jackets and scarves before heading down to the spa. Maki was fidgeting nervously, no matter how many times she told herself that this was the perfect opportunity to act more confident. She could imagine Nozomi giggling at her as she strutted her stuff. Hell, she would probably walk down there buck naked, because that was just a Nozomi thing to do. She was so lost in her war-waging thoughts that she barely felt Umi's hand on her shoulder.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Are you okay, Maki?" She gave Maki a reassuring smile, which did its duty of making her melt. Nodding shakily, she sucked in a breath, then straightened up her posture. Maybe she was feeling more nervous because Umi had agreed that they could try being girlfriends. For the first time in her life, she had an honest-to-the-Gods partner, and she was terrified of messing it up right away. She just had to stand up straight and show Umi that she was worthy of this chance.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They got to the changing room, where that familiar awkwardness settled down upon them again. It was Maki who shook it off first, not wanting to let herself feel embarrassed every time she was going to remove her clothes in front of Umi. That was something that had already happened before, and as long as they stayed together, it would happen plenty of times in the future. There was no need to be embarrassed anymore. If Nozomi could be so cavalier about it, she could at least be half that.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She removed her shirt, tights, and skirt, putting them in her locker and standing there in just her underwear. Casting a glance at Umi, she saw her professor staring at her without a word. There was something in her eyes that sent shivers down Maki's spine, and she blushed despite herself. Still, she pushed forward, unclipping her bra and sliding down her panties. Putting those in the locker as well, she was now buck naked, and Umi's eyes hadn't wavered from her once.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well? Aren't you going to undress too?" Maki blushed, but at least her voice didn't waver. Umi blushed as well, nodding as she started to remove her own clothes. True to form, Maki ogled her, loving to watch her professor undress. Her prior embarrassment started to fade, and she half-forgot that she was even naked herself. All that mattered was watching more inches of skin appear out in the open, until Umi was completely naked and nothing was hidden from either of them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They washed each other off in silence, taking differing approaches to how each of them cleaned up the other. While Umi was methodical and as safe for work as possible, Maki couldn't resist putting her hands all over Umi. It was something she never wanted to take for granted, so she allowed herself the chance to run her hands up and down Umi's back as she cleaned her off. Soon enough, her hands slipped around Umi's front, gliding along her breasts and abs until she got a quiet moan out of her older lover. That made a specific part of her wet, without need for another cleansing.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>As willing as Maki was to get down and dirty right there in the changing room, Umi convinced her to hold off. Sulking slightly, Maki wrapped a towel tightly around her body and walked with Umi to the indoor spa. Feeling a surprising surge of confidence, she cheekily put a sway into her hips as they walked side by side. She could feel Umi's eyes on her as she held the towel close to her body. It made her feel extremely attractive: more than any other person could.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>When they got to the spa, they were surprised to find that they weren't alone. A couple of girls were already in the water, having what looked to be a boisterous chat in the middle of the spa. Feeling uncomfortable at the thought of disturbing them or getting caught together, Maki and Umi hung back. The two girls were talking loud enough to be heard from that distance anyway.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It's a great idea! Think about it, Chika: the entire spa is shrouded in darkness. Then, you turn on the fog machine, turn on the strobe lights... and then I descend from the Heavens, making every customer fall from grace at the same time!" The girl speaking, with dark blue hair spreading around her back within the water, was very expressive with her words. She threw her hands up in the air, splashing water everywhere as she declared... well, whatever the hell she was declaring.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I'm not saying it's not. What I <em>am </em>saying is that I'm gonna get in trouble if you do something like that." Both of them recognized the ginger woman from the front desk: Chika, apparently. She seemed to be trying to calm the other girl down, who was quite interested in whatever she was talking about. "Remember last time you tried to convert strangers into your little demon cult?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Y-You don't have to remind me!" the other girl retorted, crossing her arms. "They didn't need to call the police..." It was then that the two of them noticed that they weren't alone in the spa. "Oh ho ho, what do we have here?" The strange girl started to wade over to the edge of the spa, with Chika following close behind. "Are you two the next fortunate souls to join my cabal of lovely little demons?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Oh stop it, Yoshiko. Do you want the cops called on us again?" Chika gently patted Yoshiko on the head, who grumbled and sunk down into the water. "Sorry about her. Hey you two! You coming in to join us?" Maki and Umi looked at each other, feeling awkward at suddenly being put on the spot.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Uhm, I suppose..." Umi answered for the both of them, shifting around uncomfortably. They had both known there could be others in the spa, but they had been hoping they would be alone. It looked like that wasn't in the cards, though. With little recourse, the two of them headed for the edge of the spa, slowly dipping their bodies into the water. At least it was nice and warm.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"So, I know your name!" Chika pointed at Maki, taking her aback. "Maki! I saw it on your card." Ah, well that made sense. "What about you, though? What's your name?" Now her attention was focused on Umi.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Umi," she responded, looking away awkwardly. Saying her name out loud made her feel like she was revealing too much information. It was as if those two girls would somehow connect the dots and realize she was a professor. Then they would look at Maki and connect more dots, until they realized the terrible truth and then it was <em>them </em>who were calling the cops. She was sweating bullets, and it wasn't because of the heat of the spa.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well, nice to meet you two! I'm Chika, and this is my family's inn. We started down in Numazu, but things got popular enough that we opened a second ryokan in the big city." She looked pretty proud of yourself, and Maki had to admit that she was impressed. Her family must have been doing pretty well to try and get into that market within Tokyo. "And this is Yoshiko, my fallen angel girlfriend." She wrapped an arm around Yoshiko's shoulders and pulled her close, getting a yelp out of her. "Oh, I mean Yohane, sorry."</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It's Yoha- Oh, uh... I mean, yes, that's right." She coughed into her hand, spreading out her arms. "Yes, I am Yohane, the Mistress of Darkness. The Lord of all Demons. XxXYohaneDemon444XxX on Twitch. Be sure to remember that and follow my streams," she winked, which made Chika giggle. Maki and Umi looked at each other, completely baffled. "You two here on a date or something?" </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Uhm..." Umi rubbed the back of her neck, biting her lip as she looked over at Maki. It wasn't exactly the truth, but it made sense at the same time. On the other hand, she didn't want to admit anything, lest they somehow find out the truth and bring the hammer of justice down on the two of them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Kind of." Maki was the one who responded, leaning back against the edge of the spa. "We actually just came here to talk about some things, but we figured that as long as we're here, we might as well make use of the amenities offered to us." She spoke so smoothly that even Umi was impressed. It didn't feel like anything was left to chance, and there were no openings for Chika or Yoshiko - Yohane? - to question them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Well, I hope your talk went well!" Chika beamed at them, wrapping herself around Yoshiko. "We were just talking about Yohane's latest idea to get me in trouble." Yoshiko rolled her eyes, but she didn't argue the point. "Do either of you think it's a good idea to turn off the lights in here, start up a fog machine, and have her jump down at everyone to try and convert them to be her little demons?" Both of them shook their heads, which made Yoshiko frown deeply.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"None of you understand greatness." After that, the conversation drifted off to varying topics, almost all of them being spearheaded by Chika and Yoshiko. Maki and Umi just listened, neither one of them wanting to interrupt, but both secretly hoping that the two of them would leave. They wanted to spend some time together, and that didn't include two strangers talking about 'streams' that neither of them understood. Neither of them felt comfortable bringing it up, though.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Eventually, after twenty minutes, the two of them decided it was time to move on. They hopped out of the spa, waving to Maki and Umi as they headed for the lockers, chatting the whole way. The two of them watched the girls go before relaxing, Maki in particular sinking down into the water until only her head was above the surface.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Thank the Gods," she muttered, sighing deeply. "They're nice, but I didn't think they'd ever leave." Umi chuckled at Maki's clear impatience, gently patting her on the head. Immediately, she could see her start un-tensing, even wearing a small smile. She really <em>was </em>weak to her touch, huh? That was too much power for a professor to have.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Be nice, Maki. They were just genuinely interested in talking to us." Umi did understand how Maki felt, and not just because she also wanted to spend some alone time with her new girlfriend. When she was Maki's age, she also wasn't a big conversationalist. Whenever she had to speak longer than a few sentences with anyone she wasn't close to, she wanted to disappear through the floor to avoid it. However, as a teacher, she understood the need for patience and an attentive ear. It was a skill that served her well over the years.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I know, I know." Maki knew it was true, but she still felt like sulking. These were the first true moments she had with Umi now that they had secretly made their relationship official. It felt like a waste to spend it talking with strangers that she couldn't even admit the truth to. There was something else too. To be honest, she was jealous of how clingy Chika was with Yoshiko. She threw herself onto her girlfriend with no thought to what others would think. That was what she wanted her relationship to be like, though not with <em>that </em>much exuberance. It frustrated her that she couldn't have it that way.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Looking over her shoulder again, she saw nobody else coming in. Chika and Yoshiko were gone now, leaving the two of them alone. She glanced at Umi, who seemed to be slowly relaxing into the warm water. Biting down on her lip, she wrapped herself around Umi's arm and pulled her towards her. Umi looked down at her, tilting her head in confusion.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I just want to be close to you," Maki muttered, blushing. "Is that so wrong?" Umi shook her head, smiling through a blush of her own. She bent down and kissed Maki's forehead, which made her blush turn into a full-faced redness. "A-Alright, you asked for it!" She yanked down on Umi's arm, sitting up in the water to reach her lips for as passionate a kiss as she could manage.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"We're alone now, Umi," Maki gasped out between kisses, only leaving space for her to speak before capturing her lover's lips again. "I don't want to waste any more time. I want you, Professor..." While kissing Umi, she got her arms wrapped around her torso, pushing their bodies together. The rest of the room disappeared. She wasn't thinking about what might happen if someone else happened to walk in. All she cared about was getting Umi to herself, and having her until her body gave out.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki..." Of course, Umi <em>was </em>thinking about the chance they would get caught. She kept looking over towards the entrance in between kisses, but eventually she had to give in. That timing just so happened to coincide with one of Maki's hands sliding underneath her towel and between her legs. She let out a moan as Maki started to rub her slit, grinding their bodies together. There was no doubting just how horny Maki was. It was starting to affect her too.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Because of that, she allowed Maki to unwrap her towel. It fell around her into the spa, weighed down by the water that had seeped into it. She found herself backed up against the wall, eyes wide and clouded with lust. It was hard not to let herself be affected by Maki, who was exuding arousal from her very pores. She could imagine it getting into the water, affecting both of them. Hell, it would have likely affected anyone else who was in contact with the water. It was just that powerful.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Still clad in her towel, Maki rose up on Umi's body, for once lording over her professor. She let her hands caress every inch of her body that she could reach, from her arms to her stomach and down her legs. As she moved down, she came face to face with Umi's breasts, which she couldn't resist running her tongue along the tops of. She felt Umi shudder in her grasp, which did wonders for her already-potent arousal.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Now it was time to get down to business. Moving her head up to kiss beneath Umi's jawline, she slid her hand in between Umi's legs and let two of her fingers slip into her slit. Being surrounded by water made it easy to get inside, though she liked to imagine it would have been fine on dry land as well. She would hope that she was making her professor at least half as wet as she herself was.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Not wanting to become a pillow princess participant, Umi quickly got Maki's own towel undone. Now they both were fully naked, though Maki was hardly paying attention to that. She was more focused on sliding her fingers in and out of Umi's pussy, letting out the occasional heavy breath as she did so. Umi was moaning beneath her, squirming a bit due to the attention. Maki lived for that. She drank it all in, moving her fingers faster in the hope that she would be gifted more. She was not disappointed.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Maki..." Umi panted, wrapping her arms around Maki's shoulders and pulling her against the crook of her neck. "Maki..." It seemed liker her student's name was all she could say, which Maki liked. She craved being the only name on Umi's lips, and she wanted to make sure it stayed that way. Her fingers moved faster, swirling around inside Umi as she repeatedly kissed all over her neck. At the same time, she began to grind her crotch against Umi's leg. She needed some stimulation as well, after all.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Feeling Maki grinding against her, Umi decided to help out. She lifted up her leg, pressing her knee against Maki's crotch. That got an immediate reaction: Maki moaned loud against her neck, bucking down hard on her knee. Her fingers twitched violently for a moment, then got right back to what they were doing. Raising her thumb, she pressed it against Umi's clit and rubbed hard, wanting to make sure that Umi was the one who came first.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You feel so good," Maki whispered, displacing water as she forced her body against her professor's. "You're so incredible... Please cum for me, Professor. Teach me how an experienced woman cums." She barely understood what she was saying, as her brain was taken over by what she called horny goblins whenever she got into these situations with Umi. It just so happened that those goblins all looked like Nozomi.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Umi bucked against Maki's fingers, kicking up water as she cried out her pleasures for the empty room to hear. "Ohhh!!" She couldn't get Maki's name out: there was nothing she could do but exactly what Maki wanted. Her pussy clamped down on Maki's fingers as she came, her body spasming in the water. It was intense enough that Maki had to look away to avoid having water splashed in her eyes.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>With her eyes closed, she could hear everything that was happening a lot better. She fell in love with how Umi's moans sounded in the throes of pleasure, caressing her ears with such a wonderful sound. The water was splashing everywhere, including on her body and in her hair, but she was willing to ride that wave out. As long as her ears were full of the raw, animalistic sounds her professor was making, she could have a bucket of water poured on her head and she wouldn't care.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She slipped her hand out from between Umi's legs when she felt her professor calming down. Opening her eyes, she waded back to her and wrapped her in her arms. Holding Umi close, she sighed with relief and utter happiness. This was everything she had wanted since she had first laid eyes on Umi. Having it all felt too good to be true, but it was real. She knew that it was. Everything was just so... so <em>right</em> with the world.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It was at that point that both of them realized what kind of position they were in, and they both looked around simultaneously. Thankfully, there wasn't anybody who had come around to witness an impromptu show. They both slid down into the water, sighing with relief. Then Umi let out a chuckle, shaking her head as she reached for her towel.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Sometimes it's hard to believe how insatiable you can be." She slung her towel over her shoulder, smiling fondly at Maki. "When I first saw you sitting in the front row, I would have never expected that you could have such an..." She tapped her lips, thinking up the right word for what she wanted to say. "... <em>appetite</em>." Maki blushed at that comment, but she smiled all the same.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I wasn't like that until I met you." She poked Umi with a teasing laugh. "Perhaps you corrupted me, my professor." She leaned in to kiss her again, this time slower and deeper. The towel fell off of Umi's shoulder as they got lost in each other's arms, grinding against each other like there was no one else in the world. As far as they were concerned, there wasn't: it was just the two of them, and the arousal that still burned inside them, having not been fully satiated quite yet.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>However, as much as the two of them wanted to keep getting it on within the spa, Umi had the post-orgasmic clarity to realize that it wasn't exactly the safest idea. They had already risked so much just going down there, not to mention the sex they'd had. Incredible or not, it would be best to continue up in the room. Though she pouted about it, Maki reluctantly agreed.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They got out of the spa, Maki shivering at the cooler air hitting her wet skin after all that time in the warm water. Pulling her soaked towel tighter around her body, she shuffled as quick as she could to grab a fresh towel. The two of them then dried off together, Maki's eyes constantly perusing Umi's body. She would watch her become exposed whenever she moved her towel around, while Umi kept her eyes on the entrance in case anyone decided to enter. They had different priorities at the moment.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>It was hard for Maki to keep her hands off of Umi. Normally she was more sensible than this, but she'd been wound up and hadn't gotten a release yet. Plus, she was hopped up on a high from knowing that she got to call Umi her girlfriend, which just made her more excited to show her professor just how appreciative she was. Her hands were shaking the entire time they walked back to their room, her fingers twitching as if they were already grabbing Umi's ass.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>When they got back to their room, it was like a weight had been lifted from Maki's shoulders. Now they didn't have to worry about being interrupted, or having their secret come out into the open. It was just the two of them, and she couldn't contain her excitement any longer. Before Umi could say anything, she was already pulling off her shirt, tossing it aside like it was nothing. Her skirt fell down her legs, being kicked off across the room. With her tights being semi-translucent, Umi could see the hint of Maki's panties underneath.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"You just can't wait, can you?" Umi chuckled, though she too was feeling pretty hot under the collar. It was hard to resist the allure of her model-like student, as their multiple trysts alluded to. She had tried her damnedest, but in the end, there had been no escaping the magnetic pull Maki had. They were both attracted to each other in ways they both knew were wrong, but didn't have the strength to ignore forever.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I've waited long enough," Maki retorted, unclipping her bra and exposing her heaving chest. Walking purposefully towards Umi, she put her hands on her professor's hips and kissed her, savoring the taste of her lips. It was a taste that she never wanted to forget: one that she occasionally felt still tingling on her tongue ever since they had shared their first kiss. She had yet to grow tired of it, and she suspected she never would.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Umi held Maki close, kissing her back with great intensity. When the two of them were locked in each other's arms, the worries they had about what they were doing seemed to always fade into the void. Neither of them cared about what might happen: those thoughts could come back later, after they were done making love for hours at a time. In those moments, it was only about the two of them: nothing else, and nobody else either.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>While they were making out, Umi pulled Maki's tights down, getting her in just her pink panties. Those were the one pair of that color she had, and she only kept them because Nozomi said they were cute. She didn't think pink was her color, but she still held onto them regardless. At least Umi didn't seem to be judging her for them. She was just grabbing at her ass, squeezing through the fabric and getting two good handfuls of her perky rear. Each squeeze made her moan into Umi's mouth.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Her hands roamed all over Umi's body, but she wasn't given a chance to undress her. Umi was too focused on her pleasure, getting her panties off and putting two fingers in between her legs. She moaned loud when Umi entered her, holding onto her shoulders tightly. Her pussy instantly tightened around Umi's fingers, keeping them inside as she bucked against them. Still, Umi found a way to move them around, expertly drifting them across her most sensitive areas. It was just as incredible as the first time the two of them had made love.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It feels so good," she gasped out, digging her nails into the fabric of Umi's shirt. She couldn't stop bucking against Umi's fingers, her legs shaking as her pussy was finger-fucked so perfectly. In those moments, Umi was no longer her literature professor, but a professor of sexual studies. She was nothing more than an eager student, willing to do anything to get a more in-depth lesson from the hottest woman in the school. Thank the Gods that Umi was willing to give it to her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She was finally able to get Umi's shirt off, though that meant temporarily losing the feeling of Umi's fingers in her pussy. It was worth it, though. Those wandering fingers were back inside her soon enough, and she now got to take in the wonderful sight of her professor's fit torso. She practically drooled over her toned abs, unable to stop herself from running her hands up and down Umi's stomach. If she was in a better position, she'd kiss every inch of those abs that she could.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>At least she could keep touching them, in between removing Umi's bra. That allowed her to lean down and flick her tongue across Umi's nipples. Now she wasn't the only one moaning, though hers were easily eclipsing her professor's. The way she moved her fingers was just too much for Maki to bear. She couldn't keep silent when they were so good at hitting every pleasure spot inside her. Her own fingers couldn't do the job the way Umi's could.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Umi, please..." She panted out, her legs almost giving way. "I want to feel your touch all over my body. Please..." Umi nodded, and suddenly her fingers were pulled out from her pussy. Instead, she put her hands on Maki's shoulders and gently pressed down. Without hesitation, Maki dropped down to her knees, looking up at her professor like a good, submissive student. She felt a wave of heat reach her cheeks when she realized how much she liked being in that position.</p>
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  <p>Umi sunk down to her knees as well, pushing Maki down onto her back. She fell back with wide eyes, panting as she leaned up just so she could see what Umi was up to. That was quickly established when Umi crawled onto her body, kissing up her stomach. She whimpered as she felt her professor's firm lips planting kisses all over her stomach, then up to her breasts. That was where Umi paid the most attention, kissing all over those mounds of flesh and dragging her tongue across her nipples. Maki shut her eyes tight, biting down on her lip as noises of pleasure leaked out regardless.</p>
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  <p>Her pussy was soaked by the time Umi started to kiss under her jaw and along her neck, being careful not to leave any marks. In that moment, Maki didn't care. Hell, she <em>wanted </em>Umi to mark her: to let everyone know that she was hers. There was still that tiny amount of sense left in her horny brain that made sure she knew that Umi's caution was prudent. It was understandable, but damn was she too horny to like it.</p>
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  <p>While her left ear was being nibbled on, Umi slid her fingers back into her pussy. With her other hand, she stroked Maki's side, sliding down to her hip before slipping it under her body and cupping her ass. All of those things happening simultaneously made Maki feel delirious with pleasure. Her brain, as knowledgeable as it was, was too stupid in that moment to focus on any one thing. Everything happening drove her to distraction, meaning she all she could do was feel everything cascading down on her at once. It made her cry out and start babbling like a crazy person.</p>
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  <p>"Umi, please, right there, right there!" She squirmed around when Umi pressed her thumb against her clit, rubbing it hard. Slapping her hand against the ground, she put her other hand in Umi's. Once she got a good grip on her hair, she made a fist in it and started to tug hard. She heard a yelp come from Umi, but she didn't waver from her task. Her tongue and her hands did their duties, working over her young lover until Maki's body physically couldn't take it anymore.</p>
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  <p>"I'm cumming, Umi! I'm- Mmmfff, I'm cumming!!!" She couldn't be prudent any longer. Her voice echoed around the room as she screamed out every ounce of pleasure she was receiving. With one more bucking of her hips, she wrapped her legs tightly up around Umi's waist. She held on for dear life as she came hard, sucking Umi's fingers in and clenching around them to leave little wiggle room. Her juices gushed out over them, soaking them down to the knuckle. Each time Umi brought her to orgasm, she felt it was the best she'd had in her life, but that one may very well have set the record. She couldn't even see or speak straight anymore.</p>
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  <p>Her legs stayed wrapped around Umi's waist until she was finally able to breathe normally, then they fell down onto the floor. She completely fell apart beneath Umi, her breathing heavy and raspy as she struggled to regain her composure. Like every other time Umi coaxed her into a tremendous orgasm, she saw stars circling around Umi's head, which was slipping in and out of clear view. It was the sexual equivalent of going on a very intense rollercoaster.</p>
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  <p>"Wow..." That was all she could say in that moment, but it was all she needed to say. Words couldn't describe how good that felt, and she knew a lot of words. She heard Umi chuckling quietly above her, but she was struggling to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Her eyes were closed because everything had been swimming around her vision, and the pleasure was going haywire on her senses. She could still feel Umi's fingers inside her pussy.</p>
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  <p>"Wow indeed." Umi slowly pulled her fingers away, laying herself down besides Maki. With shaky, tired arms, Maki wrapped herself around Umi and refused to move for a good five minutes. Neither of them spoke, just enjoying the feeling of their warm bodies being pressed against each other. As Maki came down further from the orgasmic highs, she slowly opened her eyes to find Umi smiling at her. Her heart swooned like nobody's business.</p>
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  <p>"Pretty..." she whispered, then they both started to blush when she realized what she had said. It was funny that saying Umi was pretty made her blush, when having stripped naked and letting herself get finger-fucked was perfectly okay. She was just a weird girl still learning the ways of love. "You really <em>are </em>pretty, Umi." Still blushing, she gently stroked Umi's cheek. "You're just... so much more than I can describe."</p>
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  <p>"Funny," Umi murmured, kissing Maki on the forehead. "I feel the same way about you." Maki hadn't been sure she could blush any more, but she found a way. She hid her face against Umi's chest, grumbling as her professor laughed above her. "You're wise beyond your years, Maki, but you still do have some childish temperaments." Upon saying that, Umi had to swallow down the inherent guilt at remembering that she was carrying on a relationship with her student.</p>
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  <p>"How dare you. I'm <em>very </em>mature." It was true, though she decided to avoid admitting to what was <em>also </em>true: that she could be a bit childish sometimes. From what Nozomi had told her, it definitely had to do with her growing up sheltered and lonely, but she wasn't staying in a ryokan with her hot-as-hell teacher to be psychoanalyzed. She already got enough of that from Nozomi. </p>
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  <p>"You are." Umi ran her fingers through Maki's hair, quickly soothing her pouting panther. "I've met people your age who are mature, but none quite like you. Honestly, you're more intelligent and mature than a lot of people <em>my</em> age." She wasn't going to name names, but she was thinking of a certain blonde professor. "That's why I found you to be a joy to have in class."</p>
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  <p>"I wanted you to like me," Maki admitted, pressing closer to Umi. "Not that I wouldn't have paid attention regardless. I focus on all of my classes. There was just... a little more incentive to do so in yours." Blushing, she nuzzled her face deeper into Umi's chest, as if trying to hide herself. Her arms were wrapped tight around her lover, their legs linking up as a sign of neither one of them wanting to move away from the other.</p>
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  <p>"Well, at least you weren't slacking on your studies." Umi planted a kiss on top of Maki's head, but she soon took on a more serious tone. "Maki, I know today has been fun. More than fun, if I can be honest. However, I want to make sure you're still okay with what we've agreed to. I still feel that all the points I made were valid, and I don't want you to be blinded by whatever it is about me that has you attracted to me." She felt awkward saying that it was sex that had drawn them together, so she tried to work her way around it.</p>
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  <p>"Are you saying I'm being blinded by sex?" Maki pulled away from Umi's chest, grinning when she saw a blush blooming on her cheeks.</p>
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  <p>"Not exactly..." She laughed awkwardly, which brought a bit of levity to the situation. "I'm serious, though, Maki. I don't want you to regret what we're doing."</p>
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  <p>"I've already told you, Umi: I <em>don't </em>regret what we've done, or what we'll do in the future. It's something I thought of a lot while I was trying to deny myself the thought of having you, and I know what I want: you." She spoke with determination, looking Umi right in the eyes. "It doesn't matter to me that you're my professor, or that you're older than I am. If it did, I would be more hesitant in making this more than it already is. I'm not, though. Being able to call you my girlfriend has made me happier than I can possibly describe. Holding your hand, looking you in the eyes, seeing you smile..." She blushed and smiled, reaching around to take one of Umi's hands in her own. "There's no doubt in my mind that this is what I want."</p>
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  <p>Umi nodded, falling silent at the complete determination in Maki's mannerisms. There was no doubt that she was speaking the truth. Despite all of the obstacles they both knew all too well, she was willing to put her all into them. She was inexperienced and somewhat closed off, but the answer she gave spoke volumes. It was a very mature response, and she felt that she needed to reciprocate with just as much determination.</p>
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  <p>"If that's how you feel, then I won't ask again. I can see that you truly have thought about this, and I feel it's unfair of me to keep questioning you when you've made up your mind." Smiling, Umi pressed her lips to Maki's. They kissed each other, slowly and sweetly, holding hands the entire time. "It will be a difficult time getting through the rest of this year in secret, and there will be plenty of people who won't accept us together, but I know that I'm willing to ride it out with you. We can do it together, I know it. And Maki?" She pulled just far enough away so that she could see deep into Maki's beautiful violets. "Even if I can't say it out loud, I'm happy to call you my girlfriend."</p>
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  <p>"That makes me so happy," Maki whispered, wiping a couple stray tears from her eyes. It was embarrassing for her to cry, but they were happy tears. She could still scarcely believe this was happening, but she knew it to be true. Not only was Umi her girlfriend, but she <em>wanted </em>to be her girlfriend. There was no more hesitation between the two of them. They knew the risks, and they had both decided it was worth it. Maki's heart soared like an eagle.</p>
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  <p>After spending some more time in each other's arms, kissing intermittently, they spent the rest of the day in a bubble of serenity. They had dinner together, then sat around in their room and chatted amicably about anything that came to mind. Conversation came so naturally that it felt like they'd known each other for years, rather than just a few months. They both felt normal around each other, which helped to compliment the decision the two of them had made.</p>
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  <p>Later that night, the two of them were curled up together in their room, having stripped back down to their underwear. Lying on the floor, Maki had her head resting against Umi's chest while her professor had her arms wrapped around her. In that moment, she felt so incredibly warm and safe. It felt like nothing could go wrong: nothing could hurt her, and nobody would expose the truth about what was going on between them. It was a perfect moment.</p>
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  <p>"I think I'm ready to sleep," Maki murmured against Umi's chest. She could barely keep her eyes open at that point, which may or may not have been because Umi had coaxed her to another couple of orgasms before bed. Her hair was disheveled, though Umi was currently doing her best to smooth it back down. Having her fingers running through her hair was incredibly soothing, which only made it harder to keep her eyes open.</p>
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  <p>"Me too." Smiling, Umi kissed the top of Maki's head, then lifted her head up so she could kiss her on the lips. "I hope you sleep well, Maki. Is this comfortable for you?"</p>
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  <p>"Yes." Having slept by herself for her entire life, Maki hadn't expected lying with someone would be this comfortable. It was more that she enjoyed being close to the person in question than the position actually being comfortable, to be honest. She just didn't want to be any amount of inches apart from her girlfriend. "I want to hold onto you as long as I can." Smiling softly, she squeezed herself as close as possible to Umi. "I'm glad you were my first, Umi. I don't regret that for a second."</p>
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  <p>"I'm happy to hear that." It really was relieving for her. Ever since the two of them had done it for the first time, she couldn't escape the nagging guilt that someday, Maki would regret that she hadn't waited to give her virginity away to someone else. It was something that still niggled at her brain from time to time, but hearing how honest Maki sounded gave her a decent amount of peace. "I'm also glad that I took you up on your, erm, 'offer'. I suppose I ought to thank Eli for encouraging me to do this. Either that or smack her for it." That made Maki giggle.</p>
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  <p>"I'll do the same to Nozomi." She stifled a yawn, closing her eyes. "Goodnight Umi," she murmured, slowly letting the darkness overtake her. This was the first time she would get to sleep next to Umi after being able to officially call her her girlfriend. She was going to remember every single feeling she had at the moment before she fell asleep.</p>
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  <p>"Goodnight Maki. Sleep well." With another kiss planted on Maki's forehead, Umi snuggled up with her young lover and closed her eyes, their breathing slowing down together. Snuggled up against Umi's chest, Maki could hear her heartbeat gently pumping, which made her smile. This was the life she had chosen, and one that hopefully she would continue to live for the rest of her life. It had been a long, arduous journey, and there were plenty of times where she felt there was no way anything was going to happen. Thankfully, she had been wrong, and she was sleeping next to her professor, her crush, her <em>girlfriend</em>. What could be better than that?</p>
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  <p>Life seemed to have opened up for her in more ways than she could have ever imagined, and she couldn't wait to wake up and face it all head-on. She also couldn't wait to tell Nozomi that she was dating Umi: she could only imagine her face when she proclaimed that she had a swear-to-the-Gods girlfriend. The smile didn't leave her lips as she fell asleep in the protective arms of her girlfriend. <em>'Thank you, Umi, for being mine. I love you...'</em></p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. (Omake) Taking Care of the Bullies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A little extra, where Nozomi deals with Maki's bullies.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>The three girls who had been bullying Maki had taken a breather for a bit. When they noticed Maki wasn't speaking to the professor anymore, they decided to lay off her. They had completed their mission. Maki was no longer talking to Professor Sonoda, which meant they had a chance to swoop in and claim her for themselves. Of course, all three of them wanted her, which meant there was going to be some serious backstabbing in the near future.</p>
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  <p>Suddenly, the lights in the hallway started to flicker. They stopped and looked up, wondering what in the world was going on. "Hey, what's that?" They all looked down the hall, where a figure was sitting behind a table. The lights went out completely, and only the glow from some sort of orb on the table gave them any sort of light. Looking nervously among each other, they began to tentatively walk towards the light.</p>
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  <p>The closer they got, the more they could see the figure sitting there. It was a girl, though her face was almost fully covered in a shawl. It turned out that the light was coming from a plasma ball situated on the middle of a folding table, with a deck of tarot cards stacked neatly next to it. Though they couldn't see any expression on the girl's face, they could see her eyes that seemed to drill right through their souls. It was unnerving.</p>
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  <p>"Good afternoon, ladies." She had a thick drawl from some region none of them could place. It gave her words a sweet, dripping sound, though there was something sinister hiding behind them. "Would you care to have your fortune read?" The three girls looked amongst each other, none of them feeling comfortable with the situation at hand. They all shook their heads at the same time, but the girl was already pulling her tarot deck closer.</p>
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  <p>"Let's see what's in store for you three..." She pulled the top card off of the deck, flipping it over for them all to see. "Ah, Justice is reversed. That's no good..." That got the three girls looking at each other with worried expressions. What did she mean by that? "This could mean that the three of you are being unfair or lacking accountability for your actions. Perhaps you've been unfair towards a classmate of yours." Her eyes lit up, sending shivers down their spines.</p>
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  <p>"Hey, wait..." Was this girl talking about Maki? How could she know about that, though? Had Maki told on them? They frowned deeply, no longer willing to take that lying down. "Look, we don't know what you're going on about, but if you dare tell anyone about this-"</p>
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  <p>"Ah, well that's unfortunate." Rather than listening to their empty threats, the mysterious fortune teller had flipped over another card. "A reversed Wheel of Fortune. Perhaps <em>mis</em>fortune, if you ask me." She giggled, but the three girls didn't laugh. "There could be bad luck in your future, so I would be careful about how you treat your classmates for perceived wrongs." Her eyes continued to shine, the plasma ball suddenly shutting off. "It could lead to great misfortune."</p>
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  <p>"What th- EEK!!!" The girls screamed as their visions were suddenly cut off. It was already dark in the hall, but that was further compromised by a giant sheet thrown over their heads. In a panic, they ran into each other, bumping heads and falling to the ground in a heap. They squirmed and struggled among themselves, crying out without being able to get rid of a simple cover. It would have to be the fortune teller who did so.</p>
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  <p>She threw off the sheet, on her knees to whisper in their ears. "Consider this a warning, ladies. If you mess with Maki again, I will find out, and there will be more misfortune in store for you." They all whimpered, shaking in the dark hallway. "Now get out of here." In a flash, all three of them hopped onto their feet, desperately running for some kind of escape. Two of them ran further down the hall, bumping into the table and scattering the tarot cards everywhere. The other ran back the way they had come from, not even noticing the other figure standing against the wall, watching them run.</p>
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  <p>Once the three of them had disappeared from view, Nozomi took off her shawl. "Wow, did you see them run? That was awesome!" She laughed loudly, only to shake her head when she saw her tarot cards scattered across the floor. "Of course they would go and make a mess of my cards. At least they didn't knock the plasma ball off."</p>
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  <p>"That was hilarious! It was like a haunted house!" Ai Miyashita, Nozomi's partner in crime, could barely keep herself upright from how hard she was laughing. She stumbled over towards the fallen cards, gasping out if Nozomi wanted help, but the offer was declined. Apparently, only the owner of a tarot deck was allowed to touch the cards. Oh well, less work for her.</p>
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  <p>"Well, I think that should sort them out, but if they keep bothering my friend, I'll have to give them another haunting." Grinning, Nozomi started packing everything up. This time, Ai was able to come over and assist her. "Thanks for your help, Ai. I really appreciate it."</p>
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  <p>"No problem! Ai'm always willing to help!" Nozomi could only laugh at Ai's name-based puns. She was something else, that was for sure. "You think those three will calm down now?"</p>
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  <p>"Yeah, I don't think they want to get run down any more dark hallways. But if they do..." Nozomi grinned from ear to ear, shaking her hair back over her shoulder. "I think their fortunes are going to be a lot worse next time I tell it to them."</p>
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